(FORT VALLEY) – On Saturday, the Truett McConnell University men’s volleyball team traveled to compete in a non-conference tri-match, hosted by Fort Valley State University, where the Bears were featured going 1-1 on the evening, falling to FVSU 3-1 (14-25, 12-25, 28-26, 13-25), and bouncing back to beat Morehouse College, 3-0 (25-10, 25-19, 25-14), to record their first-ever official program win in TMU history.
TMU vs. FVSU | 1-3
In the first set, the Wildcats were first on the board, followed by a kill by Caleb Bosveld. Both teams battled back and forth when consecutive kills by Troy McAlister and Adam Shuman, put TMU up by one. The set remained evenly matched with FVSU holding a two point lead over the Bears, when a final five point rally gave the Wildcats the win in set one, 14-25. The second set saw FVSU once again on the board first with a kill by Stephen Dixon disrupting the Wildcats rally. A seven point rally by the home team ultimately put TMU at a disadvantage as the Bears worked to change the result of the set. A last chance three-point rally by TMU, featuring a kill by Alex Bosman and a service ace by Bosveld, attempted to recover from Wildcats lead, but was ultimately unsuccessful, falling in set two, 12-25.
The third saw a change in momentum for the Bears as a kill by Bosman and a block assist by Shuman and Bosman put TMU up by three. The Bears continued to retain their lead, when a five point rally by FVSU put TMU endanger of a three set sweep, but a kill by Shuman followed by a service ace by Bosman, ultimately proved to be the deciding factor in a Bears win in set three, 28-26. The final set saw the Wildcats eager to gain a win as three, three-point rallies pushed FVSU ahead of the Bears. Last chance kills by Bosman and McAlister proved the Bears are a tough contender, but ultimately were not enough to secure the win, falling in the fourth set, 13-25, with a final match score of 1-3.
LEADERS
Bosman led the way with 10 kills, two service aces and one block assists. Bosveld followed with six kills, while Shuman tallied five kills, one block and one block assists. McAlister contributed three kills while Dixon had two kills.
TMU vs. MC | 3-0
Set one saw the Bears first on the board with a five-point rally, featuring kills by Dixon and McAlister. The Tigers worked to overcome TMU but was ultimately unsuccessful as kills by Bosman, Dixon, and Jakob Lee, increased the Bears lead by 10. A final six-point rally by the Bears, featuring two service aces by Dixon and a kill by Bosman ultimately proved to be the last straw on a set one win, 25-10. The second set the find an early lead with a seven point rally. A quick change in pace for the Tigers halfway through the set, threatened to overcome TMU’s marginal lead, but was ultimately not enough for MC, as a final kill by Bosveld and an error on the Tigers, sealed the deal in set two, 25-19. In the final set, TMU was first on the board, creating a three-point rally to put the Bears once again in an early lead. TMU continued to show no mercy to the Tigers when a final six-point rally, featuring three service aces by Shuman and a kill by Bosveld, ultimately proved the Bears capable to securing a three set victory over MC, 25-14, with a final match score of 3-0.
LEADERS
Bosman led the way with 11 kills and one block assists. Bosveld and Dixon followed with seven kills apiece, while McAlister tallied four kills. Wensky Saintilmond recorded 27 assists and four service aces on the evening, respectfully.
UP NEXT
TMU will be back in action on Saturday, January 27, as the host Saint-Mary-of-the-Woods for two back-to-back matches, inside the Harris Athletic Complex. Match times set for 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
