Box Score FORT WAYNE, Ind.--Junior
JT McCarthy came off the Lawrence Tech bench to lead the team with a season-high 12 kills and a .500 attack percentage as the Blue Devils turned back host Indiana Tech in a five-set thriller in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference men's volleyball action at the Schaefer Center on Saturday afternoon. With the win, LTU completes a two-game weekend road sweep of the WHAC's top two teams that began last night with a 3-1 victory at No. 13-ranked Lourdes (14-8, 14-2 WHAC).
Freshman
Mario Cid and sophomore
Akram Askoul (.412) led the Blue Devils with 10 kills apiece and redshirt junior
Brendon Down recorded eight. Reigning WHAC Setter of the Week
Nathaniel Brownlee chipped in 39 assists and Down led all servers with five aces.
Mason Milan led the Warriors (21-4 overall, 12-4 WHAC), who are receiving votes in the NAIA Top-15 national rankings, with a match-best 18 kills, followed by Daynte Stewart with 17.
Graduate student
Matheus Andrade spearheaded the LTU defense with 15 digs to top all student-athletes. Askoul tied for match-high honors with six blocks, followed by Cid and McCarthy with four each.
Lawrence Tech outlasted Indiana Tech in the early going to take a commanding two-sets-to-none lead despite getting outhit in the first (.282-.219) and also in the second (.286-.188).
The Warriors cut the deficit to 2-1 after outplaying LTU offensively by hitting .458 and holding the Blue Devils to .136. Indiana Tech continued to play better on offense in the fourth set (.391-.000) to force a fifth and deciding fifth set.
But LTU held the Warriors to just .000 to prevent a comeback bid. The Blue Devils trailed 9-7 in the fifth before scoring eight of the last 11 points in the match, including a 3-0 scoring run to end it.
Despite giving up 11 more points and 14 more kills, LTU capitalized on 21 Indiana Tech service errors and seven reception miscues.
Next up, Lawrence Tech travels to Grand Rapids, Mich., next Tuesday (7 p.m.) for a WHAC match-up at Aquinas to complete a three-match road swing.
