Sylvania, OH — The margin for error was gone. With just three games remaining, the Aquinas Men's Volleyball team needed to win out to secure a spot in the WHAC Tournament. They took care of business last Friday with a gritty five-set victory over Goshen. One win down, two to go, with Lourdes University, on the road — a tall task with the season hanging in the balance.

Despite moments of inspired play, the Saints couldn't maintain enough momentum to upset the Gray Wolves, falling in straight sets.

Lourdes 3, Aquinas 0 (16-25, 21-25, 19-25)

Lourdes brought consistent firepower all night, hitting at a .352 clip while out-killing the Saints 42-27 and holding the edge in nearly every statistical category.

Set One
Aquinas came out flat, managing just seven kills to six errors on 29 swings (.034 hitting percentage). Lourdes, meanwhile, opened strong with 15 kills and only three errors, cruising to a 25-16 win behind a .387 attack percentage.

Set Two
The Saints showed signs of life, improving to a .207 hitting percentage with 11 kills. But the Gray Wolves continued to apply pressure, tallying 14 kills at a .294 rate to take the frame 25-21.

Set Three
With their season on the line, Aquinas scrapped to stay alive. The third set was their grittiest effort, but Lourdes closed the door with their most efficient frame of the night — hitting .391 on 23 attempts — to seal the match, 25-19.

Standout Performers
Connor Staats paced the Saints with 11 kills, adding five digs, two blocks, and a pair of assists to finish with 12 points. Jonathan Collins chipped in five kills, an ace, and 6.5 total points, while Kapelie Moala added four kills and a team-best three blocks.

Julian Fira directed the offense with 16 assists and led the team with seven digs, while Alexander Rodriguez anchored the defense at the net with a team-high four blocks.

Team Stats Recap:

• Connor Staats: 11 kills, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 5 digs, 12 points
• Jonathan Collins: 5 kills, 1 ace, 1 block, 1 dig, 6.5 points
• Julian Fira: 1 kill, 1 block, 16 assists, 7 digs, 1.5 points
• Kapelie Moala: 4 kills, 3 blocks, 3 digs, 6 points

Coach's Comments
Head Coach Michael Crane reflected on the night:
"Tough loss tonight. After a slow start in the first set, we were able to get on track. Unfortunately, we did not have an answer for Lourdes' big left-handed right side. Their primary outside could also move the ball around our block too easily."

Up Next
There's no time to dwell. The Saints will be back in action Saturday afternoon, traveling to Adrian, MI to take on Siena Heights at 4:00 PM.

For the latest updates on Aquinas Athletics, visit AQSaints.com.