BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Olivet Nazarene men's volleyball defended home court in a four-set battle Tuesday night, defeating St. Ambrose 3-1 (25-13, 26-24, 27-29, 26-24) in a back-and-forth conference showdown. Brody McAfee paced the Tigers with 16 kills and two aces, while Jackson Harvey and Kahaku Marquez anchored the defense at the net with eight blocks apiece. The Tigers combined for 12 team blocks and five aces in the win.

In the first set, ONU and St. Ambrose traded points early with neither side gaining more than a two-point edge until the midway mark. McAfee sparked key momentum swings with timely kills, while Kyle Szymanski delivered a service ace to put the Tigers up 14-12. The teams continued to battle through a tight stretch, tying the score at 16-16, 20-20, and again at 22-22. Cameron Johnston came through with a kill to give ONU the edge, followed by an attack error from the Fighting Bees to bring up set point. The Tigers clinched the opener 25-23 on a St. Ambrose miscue. 

The Tigers raced out to a 4-0 start in the second set, sparked by back-to-back kills from McAfee and Johnston. After St. Ambrose responded with a 7-3 run of its own to tie it at 7-7, ONU regained momentum with a kill from Johnston, followed by a pair of St. Ambrose attack errors and a block from Marquez and Jaiton Kamaunu to pull ahead. The two sides battled point for point down the stretch, tying again at 21-21 following a St. Ambrose ace. Tied at 24-all, Kamaunu delivered a kill from Tomas Gonzalez to set up set point before a pair of attack errors from the visitors helped the Tigers secure the set, 26-24.

St. Ambrose extended the match with a gritty performance in the third set. The teams went point for point most of the way, with ONU pulling ahead 24-21 following a kill by Kamaunu. But the Fighting Bees capitalized on late Tiger errors and finished the set on a 3-0 run to edge ONU 29-27. Kamaunu and Marquez each tallied key blocks, but it wasn't enough to seal the sweep.

In the fourth, ONU clawed back from a 10-6 deficit with Harvey and McAfee teaming up for a block, and McAfee delivering an ace shortly after to even the score at 16-all. The Tigers pulled ahead 20-18 following a Johnston kill and a well-timed block from Kamaunu. St. Ambrose rallied late, tying the set at 24-24 after an ONU attack error. With the set on the line, Harvey connected on a kill to put ONU ahead, and Marquez followed with a block to close it out, 26-24, and secure the match.

Looking Ahead

ONU is back in action on Apr. 10th, as they travel to take on Trinity Christian. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CST.

—ONU—

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