St. Louis – The Maryville men's volleyball team opened its 2023 season by moving past Kentucky State 3-1 Friday evening. Set scores were 24-26, 25-10, 25-19, 25-21. Caden Klingbeil had a team-high 11 kills, while Zac Clark had nine digs. Ethan Beyreis-Heim handed out 26 assists and served five aces.
 
Kentucky State recap
After narrowly dropping the first set, the Saints went on an early 4-0 run to take command on set two. KSU closed to 9-4 but Maryville went on another 4-0 burst as David Fleischer's kill gave the Saints a 13-4 edge. Five consecutive points allowed the Saints to cruise and even the sets at 1-1.
 
KSU led for most of set three before the Saints rallied. With the score tied at 18-18, Luke Van Handel had a kill, and a KSU error gave the Saints a two-point edge. The Thorobreds scored to make it 20-19 until the Saints reeled off five straight to seal the victory.
 
In set four, the Saints dominated by scoring the opening seven points. Fischer had two kills and Beyreis-Heim served two aces to key the outburst. Maryville kept the lead the entire way but Kentucky State made a late push. However, the Saints forced two straight hitting errors to close out the match.
 
Fischer had eight kills while hitting .389 and added three blocks. Maryville's defense limited KSU to just a .059 hitting percentage.
 
Statistical Leaders
Kills: Caden Klingbeil - 11
Hitting Percentage: Jacob Fischer - .389
Assists: Ethan Beyreis-Heim - 26
Service Aces: Ethan Beyreis-Heim - 5
Digs: Zac Clark - 9
Blocks:  Jacob Fischer and Victor Ganev - 3
 
Records
Maryville: 1-0
Kentucky State: 0-1
 
What's Next?
The Saints head to Columbus, Ohio, and face No. 14 Ohio State Friday, Jan. 20, to start a stretch of six straight road matches.