GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Lawrence Tech men's volleyball overpowered Aquinas (Mich.) on the road Friday night, sweeping the Saints 3-0 behind a highly efficient attack at the Sturrus Sports and Fitness Center. The Blue Devils claimed the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference matchup 25-18, 25-21, 25-12, hitting .460 as a team to move to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in WHAC play. Aquinas dropped to 2-5 and 1-1 in league action.
Lawrence Tech controlled the opening set from the service line and at the net. The Blue Devils built a multi-point cushion, then closed on a 3-1 run to turn a 22-17 lead into a 25-18 decision. Akram Askoul sealed the frame with a service ace, officially recorded as a team ace, as Lawrence Tech's 36 total kills and six aces on the night began to separate the visitors from the Saints' .027 attack percentage.
The second set proved to be the most competitive, with Aquinas staying within striking distance before Lawrence Tech's pin hitters took control late. Setter Pedro Aguiar continued to spread the offense, and the Blue Devils again played from in front for most of the frame. With the Saints pressing to extend the set, Gustavo Machado capped it with a kill off an Aguiar delivery to finish off a 25-21 win and push the match lead to 2-0.
Lawrence Tech removed any doubt in the third set, racing out to a large advantage and never allowing Aquinas to mount a serious run. The Blue Devils' block and back-row defense funneled attacks into manageable transition chances as the lead ballooned into double digits. The match ended fittingly on an Aquinas attack error, credited to Connor Staats, giving Lawrence Tech a 25-12 win and completing the sweep with the Blue Devils outscoring the Saints 75-51 across the three sets.
Machado led a balanced, efficient Blue Devils attack with 11 kills on 19 swings, hitting .526 and adding four service aces for a match-high 15.5 points. Askoul was nearly automatic on the right side, finishing with eight kills on 11 attempts and a .727 hitting percentage to go with one ace and two block assists for 10.0 points. Middle blocker Yegor Volkov provided a strong presence at the net, adding six kills on 10 swings (.400), one ace and a team-best five total blocks to reach 10.5 points.
Aguiar orchestrated the offense with 33 assists, guiding Lawrence Tech to its .460 team hitting mark with just seven attack errors on 63 attempts. He also chipped in four digs and two block assists as the Blue Devils finished with four solo blocks and 10 block assists. Defensively, Lawrence Tech limited Aquinas to 27 kills and 25 attack errors on 74 swings, holding the Saints to a .027 hitting percentage while winning the ace battle 6-3.
With the sweep, Lawrence Tech continued its strong early-season form and secured a key road result in conference play. The Blue Devils will look to build on Friday's performance as WHAC action continues, carrying momentum from a dominant offensive and blocking display in Grand Rapids.
