SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – No. 7 Lawrence Tech men's volleyball opened its 2026 season in statement fashion Thursday night, knocking off No. 4 Georgetown College (Ky.) 3–1 in the home opener at Don Ridler Field House. The Blue Devils dropped the first set before surging back to win 18–25, 25–22, 25–23, 25–18, securing the first victory for new head coach Gustavo Heidrich.
Lawrence Tech (1–0) used a balanced, efficient attack to pull away after the slow start, finishing with 57 kills on .294 hitting and 13.5 total blocks. Middle blocker Yegor Volkov led the offense with 13 kills on .867 hitting (13-0-15) and added five block assists for a match-high 15.5 points. Outside hitter Gustavo Machado joined him in double figures with 11 kills, seven digs and five block assists, matching Volkov with 15.5 points.
After Georgetown controlled the opening frame 25–18, closing it out on a kill by Kristjan Unt, the Blue Devils responded in a tight second set. Lawrence Tech's block and serve receive steadied, and the hosts built enough of a cushion to withstand a late Tigers push. The set ended at 25–22 when a Georgetown service error by Adam Szewinski leveled the match at one set apiece and swung momentum toward the Blue Devils.
The pivotal third set featured the most back-and-forth volleyball of the night, with both sides trading sideouts and neither leading by more than a few points. Lawrence Tech's defense produced 38 digs on the evening, repeatedly extending rallies and giving setter Pedro Aguiar multiple options in transition. The Blue Devils finally grabbed the set when a Georgetown attack went long, as an error by Michal Bak sealed a 25–23 win and a 2–1 match advantage for Lawrence Tech.
With the upset in reach, the Blue Devils played their most complete volleyball in the fourth. Lawrence Tech's front line, which finished with 27 block assists and 13.5 total blocks, continued to disrupt the Tigers at the net while the offense maintained its efficiency. Volkov and Machado remained primary options, and the Blue Devils' depth showed as opposite hitter Noah Lippman delivered the decisive swing. His kill closed out a 25–18 fourth set and clinched the 3–1 victory in front of the home crowd.
Aguiar, a sophomore setter from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, directed the offense with 47 assists against just one assist error, spreading the ball to multiple hitters and helping Lawrence Tech outpace Georgetown 57–46 in kills. The Blue Devils also held a 38–32 edge in digs and doubled the Tigers' block points, 13.5–6.5, offsetting Georgetown's 4–2 advantage in service aces. Lawrence Tech converted its pressure at the net into a .294 team hitting percentage, while holding the visitors to .223.
Georgetown was led by 13 kills from Santino Zucchiatti and nine kills on .304 hitting from Bak, but the Tigers could not overcome Lawrence Tech's sustained blocking presence and late-set execution. For the Blue Devils, the win over a higher-ranked opponent marks an early-season benchmark and a memorable first victory for Heidrich as head coach, with a home matchup against Life University next on the schedule at Don Ridler Field House.
