WU-SHU l WU-SAU
DUBUQUE, Iowa – The fifth-seeded Warner University men’s volleyball team snapped their seven-game skid at the right time as they led off the MAMVIC East Tournament with a victory over #4 seed Siena Heights University (Mich.) 3-1 (30-26, 22-30, 30-23, 30-23) to advance to the second round of the tournament where they were defeated 3-1 (30-23, 18-30, 20-30, 23-30) by #1 seed St. Ambrose University (Iowa).
The Royals now stand at 9-15 for the season and will play in the Third Place match Saturday at 12 p.m. CST where they will face the loser of the Clarke College (Iowa)/Cardinal Stritch University match played earlier in the day.
In the opening match, the Royals had one of their best offensive matches of the season as they registered five players with double-digit kills. Kills leader Nick Brutus led the Royals with 14 kills to go along with two service aces and a team-leading three blocks. Freshman Sean Kelly continued his strong play from the regular season closer by tallying 13 kills in the match. Freshman Michael Balestri was masterful in the match, totaling 11 kills with a team leading .643 hitting percentage. Mark Brutus and Robert Schramm rounded out the Royals offensive leaders with 10 kills apiece. Warner finished with a .441 combined hitting percentage.
Specialist Adrian Kibsey orchestrated the Flying Royals high-octane offense, dishing 40 assists in the match. Mark Brutus and Jhon Pupo led the Royals defense with four digs apiece.
In the second round, the Royals were able to grab the opening set from the Bees before the #1 seed St. Ambrose defense stifled the Royals offense. The Bees held the Royals to a slim .135 team hitting percentage in the match.
Nick Brutus tallied a double-double in the match, with a team-high 14 kills to go along with a match-high 11 digs. Kibsey eclipsed his total in the earlier match by dishing 41 assists against the Fighting Bees.