Grand Rapids, Mich. – The No. 14-ranked Aquinas men's volleyball team had a showdown with crosstown rival Cornerstone University tonight (Jan. 31) for CU's home opener. The Golden Eagles entered tonight's match undefeated with a 3-0 record. Not only had the Golden Eagles not lost a match in 2023, but CU also had yet to lose a set.

Cornerstone appeared to be on its way to extending that streak after winning the first two sets 25-23 and 26-24. However, Aquinas marched right back and took the next three sets by scores of 26-24, 25-18, and 15-13 in a nail-biting comeback victory.

Aquinas improves to 2-1 on the season with a 2-1 WHAC record. Cornerstone falls to 3-1 with a 2-1 WHAC record of its own. The Saints also own a perfect 5-0 record against Cornerstone in men's volleyball following tonight's result.

Both teams started the first set trading points inside an electric Mol Arena. AQ and CU exchanged lead changes three times throughout the first 18 points of the set. However, with the score tied at nine, Aquinas finally began picking up some momentum. Kills from Joshua Boothroyd and Julian Armendano, along with an error from Cornerstone, gave AQ a quick 3-0 run and forced the home side to use its first timeout of the match.

Exiting the timeout, the Saints remained hot and grew their lead to five after a kill from Carter Sabo and an ace from Chase Gil. Aquinas maintained its lead down the stretch of the first set, holding a 20-16 advantage late in the set. Several points later, AQ appeared to be in control of the set with a 23-19 lead.

Cornerstone had other plans in mind, taking a couple of points back that featured a pair of blocks. CU narrowed the deficit to just two points and AQ used its first timeout in an attempt to stop the building Cornerstone momentum.

Coming out of the timeout, Cornerstone took the next three points and took a 24-23 lead. The Saints used their second timeout in an attempt to regroup, but it was too late. The Golden Eagles ended the first set on a 6-0 run to claim the first set 25-23.

The second set remained extremely close between the two rivals. Aquinas managed to build a one or two-point lead on several occasions, but CU always quickly responded to tie the match back up. This continued right down to the end of the set with the score tied at 19.

Cornerstone managed to take a 21-19 lead following an error from the Saints and a kill from Cornerstone. The suspense began to build as kills from Boothroyd and Armendano tied the set at 22. The next four points were traded between the rivals moving the score line to 24-24. However, a pair of errors from Aquinas gave Cornerstone the next two points and a 26-24 second set victory.

With the match on the line, the Golden Eagles took hold of a quick 7-3 advantage. A trio of errors from the Golden Eagles and a kill from Armendano instantly tied the game up at seven and forced CU to burn its first timeout early. The momentum continued to shift as Cornerstone took an 11-9 lead, but AQ responded right back to reclaim a 12-11 advantage of its own.

This back-and-forth continued throughout the set with Aquinas holding a slim 21-19 lead late in the third set. A kill from Alexander Rodriguez extended the lead to three, but the home side rallied to take the next three points and tie the set at 22 and force an Aquinas timeout.

While the AQ timeout did slow down the CU momentum, both sides traded points until the set was tied at 24. With the match on the line, Boothroyd slammed down a kill and Leo-Paul Rousseau scored an ace to give AQ a 26-24 third-set victory.

Aquinas looked to keep the momentum rolling and remain alive in the match heading into the fourth set. After an early lead from the Golden Eagles, AQ reinstated its momentum and slowly grew its lead throughout the set. The Saints finally began to really break away from the Golden Eagles late in the set and took a 25-18 fourth-set victory to force a fifth and final set.

Cornerstone grabbed the early advantage in the fifth set with a 3-1 lead, but AQ quickly responded and took a 5-4 lead of its own. Just a few points later with the set tied at six, Armendano picked up two more kills to give AQ an 8-6 advantage and forced AQ to use its first timeout.

The aforementioned timeout worked as intended as the home side took the next three points to take a 9-8 lead. However, the Saints responded with a 3-0 run of their own after a cornerstone error, a block from Gil and Boothroyd, and a kill from Boothroyd reestablished the AQ lead.

CU came back and tied the match at 12, but a pair of errors from the Golden Eagles gave AQ match point with the score at 14-12. Cornerstone used its second timeout of the set in an attempt to stop Aquinas from completing a massive comeback. Cornerstone got one point back after the timeout, but a huge block from Gil and Sabo ended the match and finalized the Saints' massive comeback win.

The two sides split most of the statistical categories. AQ led in hitting percentage (.286-.264), aces (9-2), and blocks (9-7). CU had more kills (66-57), assists (64-53), and digs (49-46).

Armendano had his best match of the season thus far with a team-leading 24 kills on an impressive .308 hitting percentage. He also had an ace, two solo blocks, and six digs to cap off a massive night.

On the other side of the net, Boothroyd racked up 16 kills of his own on a .351 hitting percentage. In addition, he had three aces, a solo block, two block assists, and a team-high nine digs tonight.

Rousseau broke the 50-assist mark for the second straight match, this time hitting a career-high 51 assists. Rousseau added three aces and eight digs to his already impressive stat line.

The Saints' six-match road stand continues this Friday (Feb. 3) with a tough matchup against the No. 12-ranked Saint Xavier University Cougars. The match is set to begin at 8:00 PM EST.