| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Olivet Nazarene (3-0, 0-0) | 26 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
Geneva (3-4, 1-0) | 12 | 29 | 15 | 22 | 1 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Olivet Nazarene (3-1) | 17 | 24 | 16 | 0 |
|
Trinity Christian (4-0) | 25 | 26 | 25 | 3 |
PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. - After picking up a 3-1 win over Geneva in the semifinal round, the Olivet Nazarene University men's volleyball team ultimately placed runner-up in the NCCAA National Invitational after falling to the Trinity Christian Trolls in the championship match.
Jake Ostema and Kahaku Marquez were named to the all-tournament team for their stellar performances throughout the tournament.
First Match: Olivet Nazarene 3, Geneva 1
Behind a record-setting 48 assists from Hunter DeMello and double-digit kills from four different Tigers, ONU earned a 25,12, 27-29, 25-15, 25-22 victory over the Geneva Golden Tornadoes in the semifinal round of the NCCAA National Invitational.
In the opening set, ONU scored seven-unanswered points to start things off. Later in the set, the Tigers rattled off six-straight points, with back-to-back kills from Thoralf Schmelzer ending the spurt to put ONU up by double-digits. The Tigers led comfortably for the rest of the set.
ONU stumbled out of the gate in the second, surrendering five-straight points to start the set. The Tigers trailed 18-8 before breaking off a 14-4 run to tie it up. Tied at 25-25, Jaiton Kamaunu landed an ace to put the Tigers at set point, but Geneva was able to score four of the next five points to claim the second set.
The third set was all Tigers. A kill from Schmelzer and an ace from James Ballance put ONU up by 16-6, and the Purple and Yellow Gold coasted to a double-digit win in the third
ONU trailed 9-5 in the early stages of the fourth. But kills from Kamaunu and Marquez as well as an ace from Kyle Szymanski put the Tigers, along with a Geneva hitting error, put the Tigers in front 10-9. The margin was just 22-20 late, but back-to-back kills from Marquez and Ostema put ONU at match point. Two points later, Schmelzer put the game away with a kill to send the Tigers to the championship match.
DeMello set an ONU single-match record for assists with 48, breaking the previous record of 31 that he set against Viterbo last season on March 19, 2022. Marquez led the Tigers with 13 kills while Kamaunu, Ostema, and Schmelzer all put away 11 kills each.
Second Match: Trinity Christian 3, Olivet Nazarene 0
After a perfect 3-0 start, ONU's tournament run came to a close with a 25-17, 26-24. 25-16 loss to Trinity Christian in the championship match.
Trailing 16-7 in the first, ONU came back with three straight points to cut the deficit to six. After two points from the Trolls, a kill from Schmelzer and a bad set from Trinity Christian got the Tigers back to within six. But that was the closest they would get as TCC quickly pulled away to take the opener.
In the second set, the Tigers were able to erase a six-point deficit to tie the game at 15-15. TCC rattled off a late 5-2 run to take the lead, but a Cade Ooms kill kicked off three-straight points to tie the game back up at 22-22. Both squads traded points until they hit deuce at 24-all. The Trolls, however, picked up the two points necessary to claim the second.
The Tigers only faced a one-point deficit in the third until TCC put together a 10-2 run to take control of the set. ONU then pieced four-consecutive points, but it wasn't enough to claw back into the game, dropping the decisive third set 25-16.
Schmelzer was the lone Tiger with double-digit kills, finishing with 11. DeMello put up 27 assists.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Tigers will kick off their conference slate on Tuesday, Jan. 31 with a match at Roosevelt. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. CST.
--ONU—
*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu
