THE GAME FACTS
Score: Wittenberg 3, Roanoke 1 (25-16, 20-25, 25-22, 25-20)
Records: Tigers 1-0; Maroons 0-1
Location: Springfield, Ohio

The Short Story: The Roanoke College men's volleyball traveled to Ohio for their first-ever match as the Maroons took on the Tigers of Wittenberg. After dropping the first set, Roanoke responded by winning the second before Wittenberg won the third and fourth for the 3-1 win. The match was the season-opener for both teams.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Much of the first set was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams until the midway point. With the Tigers leading 13-9, the Maroons went on a 5-2 run to cut the lead down to just one point at 15-14 and again at 17-16. However, Wittenberg won the next eight points to take a 1-0 set lead.
• The second started off much like the first with the teams playing point-for-point with the Tigers leading 7-6. Roanoke responded at this point with four-straight points to take a 10-7 lead, forcing the home team to take a timeout. The Tigers would even the score at 13-13 and the two teams would go back and forth once again, but when the Tigers scored one, the Maroons would answer with two. After a kill by Connor Brooks and a Tiger attack error put the Maroons up 24-19, Wittenberg scored one more point before a service error gave the Maroons their first set win and evened the match at 1-1.
• The Tigers scored off some early points to begin the third set, but a kill by CJ Kingston leveled the match at 10-10. Wittenberg went on a 5-1 run to regain the lead and carried that to a 21-15 advantage. The Maroons rallied off three straight points before the Tigers took a timeout. The Maroons scored one more in their 4-0 run before the two teams resumed a point-for-point with the Tigers claiming the third set 25-22.
• Roanoke took an early lead in the fourth set, 4-1, and led by four at 8-4. A five-point run by the Tigers gave them their first lead of the set at 9-8 before the Maroons retook it with two points, including a kill by Michael Cummins. Another run by Wittenberg put them back on top 14-10. An 8-4 run by Roanoke brought them within one at 18-17. A 6-1 run put the Tigers ahead 24-18, but the Maroons responded two to pull within four. A Tiger kill clinched the match for the home team 25-20.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Cummins led the Maroons in the season-opener with 12 kills and 10 digs to record his and the program's first double-double. Brooks finished with eight kills on a .583% attack percentage along with four total blocks. In addition to Cummins, Kaeden Noble also reached double-figure digs with 10.
• Along with Cummins and Brooks, Colin Mendoza (6), Jackson Rutkowski (5), and Kingston (5) all scored 4+ kills in their first collegiate match.
• Both teams finished the match with 37 kills, with the Maroons holding the slight edge in assists, 34-33.

UP NEXT

• The Maroons will be back on the court Saturday morning looking for their first win as they take on Eastern Mennonite in a non-conference matchup at Wittenberg. Game time with the Royals is scheduled for 10 a.m.