La Crosse, WI – The AQ Men's Volleyball team traveled to Wisconsin over spring break for a pair of non-conference matches against Bryant & Stratton (Tuesday) and Viterbo (Thursday). Coach Crane's crew split the series, gaining valuable minutes and fine-tuning their game ahead of the second half of the WHAC conference schedule.

Viterbo 3, Aquinas 1

The Saints put up a strong fight against the V-Hawks, pushing the match to four sets. After narrowly dropping the first, AQ responded with an impressive 27-25 second-set win to even the contest.  However, Viterbo took control in the final two frames to claim the victory.

The stats were almost as close as the games, the difference was the attack percentage for Viterbo, as the V-Hawks were .256 to just .180 for AQ. Service-wise, only a slight advantage for Viterbo (5 aces, 14 service errors) to Aquinas (3 aces and 17 service errors).  Finally, both teams had 12 blocks with AQ leading in digs 45-42 over the V-Hawks.

Coach's Take from Thursday

Following the hard-fought defeat, Coach Michael Crane had this to say:
"We showed flashes of what we are capable of, especially in that second set, but we need to be more consistent. This match gave us some great learning opportunities, and we'll use them to improve as we head back into conference play."

Inside the Numbers (Thursday's Game)

• Connor Staats led the Saints with 21 kills, hitting .283 and adding six digs.
• Kapelie Moala chipped in 12 kills and a block assist.
• Zachary Nosky provided efficient attacking with five kills on a .333 hitting percentage.
• Julian Fira dished out 30 assists, while the defense saw four Saints tally at least six digs.

Aquinas 3, Bryant & Stratton 1 (Tuesday Night)

Coach Crane spoke highly of his team's performance in Tuesday's win over Bryant & Stratton:
"Tuesday night, the Aquinas men's volleyball team played perhaps their most complete set of the season. Even though they dropped a tight second set, they were dominant in every category. It was evident that the momentum never really left the Saints. Every member of the team played extended minutes and contributed to our success."

Up Next

The Saints will be back in action on Tuesday when they head up the street to challenge Cornerstone at 7:00 PM before returning home to host Oakland City on Friday at the Sturrus Sports & Fitness Center, with first serve set for 7:00 PM.