Southfield, Mich. — The Aquinas College men's volleyball team struggled against a dominant Lawrence Tech squad on Tuesday evening, falling in straight sets (18-25, 12-25, 20-25) at the Don Ridler Fieldhouse. The Saints (3-8, 0-3 WHAC) were unable to match the efficiency of the undefeated Blue Devils (7-0, 3-0 WHAC), who controlled the match with a potent offensive attack and strong service game.

Lawrence Tech's Efficient Offense Overpowers Saints

Lawrence Tech executed a near-flawless offensive performance, hitting an impressive .444 as a team. The setter Pedro Aguiar led the attack with 33 assists, while the Blue Devils' aggressive serving led to nine aces. Their defensive effort was equally strong, recording four total blocks and limiting Aquinas to a .176 team hitting percentage.

Saints Show Fight but Struggle to Keep Pace

Aquinas had a bright spot in Kapelie Moala, who delivered a team-high seven kills while hitting an efficient .583. Connor Staats also contributed 11 kills but faced a tough Lawrence Tech defense, hitting .107 for the match. Setter Julian Fira finished with 13 assists, while the Saints managed just one service ace as a team.

Despite a slow start, Aquinas showed some fight in the third set, posting its best offensive numbers with a .423 hitting percentage, but the deficit proved too much to overcome.

Coaches' Thoughts

Head Coach Michael Crane was candid about the team's performance, "We played poorly, but we were able to get some subs in and be fairly competitive in the third set. This weekend we need to improve on the serve, as Indiana Tech is very aggressive serving and if we don't improve on service reception, it could be a long day."

Up Next

The Saints will take on #15-ranked Indiana Tech on Friday, Feb. 21, with a 7:00 p.m. start. They will then return home for an early match-up against Mount Vernon Nazarene on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 11:00 a.m.