Grand Rapids, Mich. — Aquinas battled point-for-point with Cornerstone on Tuesday (Feb. 10) night, pushing the match to four sets behind a gritty third-set surge. Despite multiple momentum swings and a late push in the fourth, the Saints ultimately fell to the Golden Eagles in a hard-fought conference clash.
Aquinas 1, Cornerstone 3
Both squads opened the match with early misses before Garrett Anderson delivered the first kill for Aquinas, trimming the deficit to 4-3. The teams traded points evenly through a 5-5 deadlock, but a string of service aces from Cornerstone helped the Golden Eagles build a 10-7 advantage. A kill from Connor Staats paired with a CU error brought the Saints within one at 10-9, yet Cornerstone responded with five straight points to stretch the lead to 15-9. Jayden Sturdevant added a kill late in the set, but the Saints couldn't close the gap, dropping the opener 25-15.
Cornerstone carried that momentum into set two, jumping ahead 5-1 before Alexander Rodriguez put down a kill and blocks from Anderson and Andrew Sliwinski pulled AQ within 5-4. Jonathan Collins and Sliwinski teamed up for another rejection at the net, but the Golden Eagles maintained control at 10-7. Rodriguez sparked a brief Aquinas surge with a powerful swing that helped the Saints edge ahead 13-12. However, a seven-point run from Cornerstone swung the set decisively. Kills from Andrew Jones and Staats kept AQ competing down the stretch, but the Saints fell 25-18.
After Cornerstone grabbed another early lead, Rodriguez and Jones kept the Saints within striking distance before a key Aquinas block pushed AQ in front 14-13. The Saints found their rhythm midway through the frame, stringing together a six-point run fueled by kills from Tristan DePooter and Sturdevant to build a 22-17 cushion. DePooter sealed the set with the final swing, giving Aquinas a 25-19 win and new life in the match.
Riding that energy, the Saints stormed out to a 5-1 lead in the fourth behind a service ace from Jones. The Golden Eagles answered with four straight points to reclaim a 7-6 edge, and the teams continued to battle through multiple ties, including 7-7 and 10-10 after an ace from Ryden Luedtke. Cornerstone used another run to move ahead 15-10 and later 21-14. Aquinas refused to back down, rallying to close the gap to 24-20, but a final kill from the Golden Eagles ended the match 25-20.
Coaches Comments
"We just didn't play with the level of discipline we needed tonight," said head coach Michael Crane. "We allowed too many runs that put us behind, and that makes it tough to climb back. There were stretches where we executed well and competed the right way, but we have to sustain that focus and consistency from start to finish."
By the Numbers
Up Next
The Saints will hit the road this Friday (Feb 13) to take on the Lourdes Gray Wolves at 7:00 p.m. in Sylvania, OH.
