CHICAGO – The Maryville men's volleyball team bounced back by roaring past Roosevelt 25-19, 25-12, 25-16. Luke Kraft and Kevin Doran led the way with eight kills apiece. Nine different Saints recorded at least one kill in the match. The Saints hit .403 for their second highest hitting percentage of the season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Tied at 12 in the first, the Saints scored seven of the next eight points to grab control. The Lakers committed two errors before Kraft served an ace. After a Roosevelt point, Kraft and Cameron Lee had back-to-back kills. Makai Scott cranked in an ace, and a Laker error made it 19-13. The Saints used a late 3-0 run and closed out the opener.
 
The Saints hit .550 in the second set with 13 kills versus just two errors on 20 swings to dominate the middle set. Roosevelt scored the first point before Maryville tacked on five straight. Kraft had a kill, and Doran followed. Scott put down consecutive kills before another Kraft kill made it 5-1. The Saints then reeled off seven consecutive points to seize control. Kraft put down a ball, and Victor Ganev closed the run with a termination and a 15-3 lead. The lead was still 19-10 but the Saints scored five of the next six points and eventually took a 2-0 lead.
 
A 7-1 surge gave the Saints early breathing room, and Maryville quickly pushed the margin to double-digits. Roosevelt committed three errors during the run, and a Ganev kill made it 6-1. The Lakers inched to within 8-4 until the Saints responded with a 5-0 run. Tristan Benbow had a kill to make it 15-5 and the Saints were still up 18-8. Roosevelt trimmed the gap to 20-13 but the Saints tacked on three unanswered points to reestablish control.

STATISTICAL LEADERS
Kills: Kevin Doran and Luke Kraft - 8
Hitting Percentage: Kevin Doran - .700
Assists: Ethan Beyreis-Heim - 22
Service Aces: Luke Kraft - 5
Digs: Zac Clark - 6
Blocks: Kevin Doran - 2

RECORDS
Maryville: 7-6
Roosevelt: 1-9
 
What's Next?
The Saints return to Moloney Arena Wednesday, March 5, as they host McKendree for a 7 p.m. match.
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