THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — On the first day of the Third Annual Cal Lu Fornia Classic, the Cal Lutheran men's volleyball team swept Lakeland University (25-23, 25-13, 25-22) Friday night inside Gilbert Arena.
The Kingsmen started the match off on a strong note, hitting a.316 in the first set. The Violet and Gold came together to defeat Lakeland as the Muskies put up a tough fight. Cal Lutheran battled for every point with Lakeland until Patrick Rowe put away a few kills to help the Kingsmen take the first set. Rowe was a force to be reckoned with all match, leading the team with 14 kills and nine digs.
Cal Lutheran carried the momentum into the second set as they swept the Muskies 25-13, averaging a .385 hitting percentage. Rowe and Mason Mercer were in a rhythm early providing a kills and blocks to help CLU take the lead. Service runs from Mercer and Michael Campbell helped lock in the second set, 25-13.
Grant Nelson started the third set off with a service ace, helping CLU take a 3-0 lead, but the Muskies would battle back to trade points with the Kingsmen. With a slight 23-20 advantage, Andrew Reina and Rowe took over down the stretch to lead the Violet and Gold to its 12th victory of the year. The Kingsmen finished with an outstanding .429 hitting percentage in the fourth set.
Rowe finished with a high 14 kills while Reina was close behind with 12. Campbell and Reina dominated at the net with three blocks apiece. Nelson dished out a high-40 assists in the match as well as matching Rowe, with nine digs.
The Muskies were led offensively by Desmond Williams with 11 kills and defensively by J.T. Levitt with nine digs.
Cal Lutheran (12-4) wraps up tournament action tomorrow with a match at 11 a.m. against UC Merced and a match at 5 p.m. against #7 UC Santa Cruz inside Gilbert Arena.
Box Score: CLU 3, LU 0
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Release by Nicki Tetherow, Assistant Sports Information Director
