FORT WAYNE, IND. – The Maryville men's volleyball team pushed Purdue Fort Wayne the distance but the Mastodons prevailed in five sets Tuesday evening. The Saints fell 25-20, 19-25, 17-25, 25-23, 14-16. Luke Kraft paced Maryville with 15 kills, while Makai Scott added 12 kills.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Kraft had three straight kills to cap a 5-0 run as the Saints took an early 6-2 lead. After a Mastodons point, the Kraft served three straight aces as the Saints pushed out to an 11-3 advantage. The margin grew to as many as nine points Purdue Fort Wayne tried to make a late push but the Saints held on for the five-point win.
 
The Mastodons picked up their offensive attack and had 31 kills to just six errors over the next two sets as the hosts took a 2-1 lead. The Saints rebounded in set four by building a small advantage. The Mastodons finally tied the score at 19-all and eventually took a 23-22 lead. Maryville answered with a kill by Ethan Beyreis-Heim and he teamed with David Fleischer for a block to earn a set point. The Maryville defense caused an error as the match moved to a fifth set.
 
In the fifth, the Saints roared out to a 5-1 lead. The Mastodons committed two errors, and Kevin Doran and Kraft had a block. A kill by Doran capped the run and the four-point lead. Purdue Fort Wayne answered with four straight and the set was tied at 6-6. After a Mastodons error, Kraft's kill pushed the Saints up 8-6. The set was tied at 8-all and again at 11-11 before Purdue Fort Wayne got to match point at 14-11. The home side had an error, Kraft and Scott put down kills to forge a tie at 14-14. However, the Mastodons received two straight kills to take the match.

STATISTICAL LEADERS
Kills: Luke Kraft - 15
Hitting Percentage: Kevin Doran - .357
Assists: Ethan Beyreis-Heim - 41
Service Aces: Luke Kraft - 6
Digs: Cameron Lee - 8
Blocks: David Fleischer - 5

RECORDS
Maryville: 9-8
Purdue Fort Wayne: 8-9
 
What's Next?
The Saints remain on the road and take on Thomas More University Wednesday, March 12.
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