BOURONNAIS, Ill. – A dominant start and a blistering finish lifted the Olivet Nazarene University men's volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-16, 21-25, 25-15, 25-14) conference victory over Judson University on Thursday night inside McHie Arena.

The Tigers came out hot to start the night, racing out to a 4-0 lead behind early kills from Brody McAfee and Cade Ooms. ONU built a 10-5 advantage and kept the pressure on, using back-to-back service aces from McAfee to cap a 6-1 run late in the frame. The Tigers hit .375 in the set and closed it out 25-16 on a Judson error.

Judson responded in the second set and took advantage of ONU's service miscues to keep things tight. Despite a service ace from Kahaku Marquez and a couple of strong swings from McAfee, the Eagles maintained their edge by trading points down the stretch. Judson capitalized on a late service ace and a pair of key kills to stay in front, ultimately taking the set 25-21 to even the match at one set apiece. 

The third set was all Tigers from the start. ONU jumped out to a 6-2 lead behind a kill from Ooms, then extended it to 12-6 with more defensive pressure at the net. A series of block assists from Marquez, Jackson Harvey, and McAfee disrupted Judson's rhythm, and the Eagles couldn't recover. Ooms and McAfee each added timely kills, while Max Rodenmeyer helped close it out late. ONU held Judson to a -.029 hitting percentage in the frame and secured a commanding 25-15 win to retake the lead in the match.

In the fourth, the Tigers delivered their most dominant stretch of the match. After falling behind 6-3, ONU regrouped during a timeout and responded with a surge powered by kills from McAfee, Marquez, and Harvey to tie it up at 7-7. From there, the Tigers took control, fueled by multiple blocks and a steady rhythm offensively. Rodenmeyer stepped in with a service ace, and McAfee capped his stellar night with two more kills off assists from Tomas Gonzalez. ONU ended the set on a 12-2 run, sealing the 25-14 victory and closing out the match 3-1.

Ooms matched McAfee with 12 kills on a .308 clip. Harvey recorded six kills and a match-high eight block assists, while Marquez contributed seven and two aces. Byers dished out 13 assists, and Gonzalez added 19 more in the victory. As a team, the Tigers recorded seven service aces to Judson's five.

Looking Ahead

The Tigers return to action Mar. 29th, when they host Viterbo University at 7 p.m. CST for the opening match of a home tri-match inside McHie Arena.

—ONU—

*Contact Anyssa Hampton, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, ahampton@olivet.edu