The Saints celebrate a point against Adrian College – Photo by Grace Malec
By Grace Malec, Sports Editor
The Aquinas Men’s Volleyball team has returned to the court for another season of play. After two hard fought scrimmages against the Davenport University Panthers and the Calvin University Knights, the team returned to their home court, taking on the Adrian College Bulldogs in their home opener at Sturrus Sports and Fitness Center on Jan. 28.
With every new season comes a new schedule and new athletes. During the offseason, the team introduced four new members to the team; Julian Fira, Kapelieli Moala, Ryden Luedtke and Will Gilmore, all who have their own set of strengths that they will bring to the team.
“This year we have a really solid line up with players that have good experience under their belts,” Fira said. “With me being a transfer student our main goal right now is learning to be more in sync with each other. Once that happens we have the ability to win a lot of games this season.”
The new season for the Saints also features a full schedule. Saints fans can expect matches against local teams such as the Cornerstone University Golden Eagles, but can also look forward to matches held at home against new opponents such as the University of Rio Grande Red Storm.
Opposite Hitter/Middle Blocker Zack Nosky Serves – Photo by Grace Malec
During their home opener, the team took on the Adrian College Bulldogs, a NCAA Division III opponent. After losing set one, the team came back to win three back to back sets, taking the win in the match in a reverse sweep. The Bulldogs were unable to return the Saints attacks. Connor Staats, a sophomore on the team, made a total of 19 kills against the Bulldogs, leading the team in kills. In addition, Julian Fira made 30 assists during the match against the Bulldogs, also going on to lead the team in assists.
After their successful home opener match against the Adrian College Bulldogs, the team headed to Rio Grande, Ohio to participate in the University of Rio Grande Invitational from Jan. 31 – Feb. 1.
On day one of the invitational, the Saints played both the Life University Eagles and the Park University Gilbert Buccaneers. The Eagles went on to win the first match against the Saints in a 0-3 sweep. The Saints later made a comeback during their match against the Buccaneers, taking the match 3-2. Amidst the team’s win against Park University, Alex Rodriguez achieved his career high of 11 kills against the Buccaneers.
Day two of the invitational brought tough matches from the University of Rio Grande Red Storm and the Bluefield University Rams. In a tough matchup between the Red Storm and the Saints, Aquinas responded to Rio Grande’s first set win, taking set two 25-22. The Saints later fell short of the Red Storm with Rio Grande taking set three 25-20 and set four 25-21. Finishing their time at Rio Grande, the Men’s Volleyball team fell to Bluefield University with a score of 0-3.
The Men’s Volleyball team returns home to play the University of Rio Grande in a rematch on Feb. 14 in Sturrus Center before heading to Bethel University on Feb. 15.
#8 Zack Nosky celebrates a point earned for the Saints – Photo by Grace Malec
The Saint 