Rochester, Mich. – The Aquinas College men's volleyball team weathered a tight battle on the road Wednesday night, grinding out three narrow set wins before breaking things open in the fourth to secure a 3-1 victory over Rochester Christian University. After edging the first three sets by just two points apiece, the Saints found another gear in the finale, closing the match with a commanding 10-point margin.
Aquinas 3, Rochester Christian 1
(25-23, 28-26, 23-25, 25-13)
Joseph Hodgson sparked the offense early in set one, hammering down the opening kill as AQ jumped ahead 3-1. The Warriors answered to tie it at 4-4, but a massive block from Alexander Rodriguez and Andrew Jones, followed by back-to-back kills from Rodriguez and Connor Staats, pushed the Saints back in front 8-5. Staats and Hodgson continued to apply pressure, stretching the lead to 13-9. RCU battled back to knot the set at 16-16, yet Rodriguez and Staats responded again with timely swings to reclaim a 19-16 edge. Rodriguez sealed the opener with a kill, lifting Aquinas to a 25-23 win.
Set two saw Rochester Christian strike first, building momentum and eventually a 16-7 advantage. The Saints refused to fold. Jayden Sturdevant delivered two crucial kills, and Brock Hoffman fired an ace to cut the deficit to 22-18. At the net, Andrew Sliwinski and Braylon Amos combined for back-to-back blocks to push the set into extra points. Sturdevant came through again late, and Collin Ilagan delivered an ace as AQ escaped with a 28-26 victory.
The third set flipped the script early, with Aquinas falling behind 6-1. Staats and Rodriguez steadied the group with kills, and Garrett Anderson joined the rally to trim the margin to 8-5. The Saints clawed back to tie the set at 14-14, and the teams traded blows down the stretch, deadlocked again at 20-20. This time, the Warriors closed it out 25-23 to extend the match.
Two kills from Jonathan Collins and a pair of service aces from Ryden Luedtke fueled a 4-0 burst to open the frame. Staats added an ace of his own, and Collins continued to find the floor as the Saints built an 8-3 cushion. Gage Dinges joined the service run with an ace, and another Rodriguez termination stretched the lead to 17-8. Collins and Staats added late kills before Luedtke punctuated the night with a final ace, sealing the 25-13 win.
Coaches Comments
"We showed a lot of resilience tonight," said head coach Michael Crane. "Rochester Christian put pressure on us in every set, but our guys stayed composed in the big moments. When we cleaned up our execution and served aggressively in the fourth, you saw the level we're capable of playing at. That's the standard we have to carry with us moving forward."
By the Numbers
Up Next
The Saints return home tomorrow (March 5) as they host the Goshen College Maple Leafs at 7:00 p.m., looking to build on the momentum from Wednesday's road victory.
