ADRIAN, Mich. – Marian University men’s volleyball (5-0, 0-0 NACC) earned another pair of sweeps defeating Adrian and Millikin.
Marian opened the day against host Adrian defeating the Bulldogs 25-19, 25-23, and 25-17. The Sabres opened the match trailing 11-10 before going on an 8-2 run to build a comfortable 18-13 edge. Marian would close out the set with a 7-3 spurt. The second set saw Adrian bounce back especially on the offensive side but Marian was able to pull out a tight win. The set was all knotted at 20-20 before a late rally from the Sabres saw Marian score three unanswered to go up 2-0. The third set started tight but a 9-2 run from Marian allowed the Sabres to easily cruise to a sweep.
Sophomore Derek Wills had a monster day to pace the Marian offense recording 15 kills off of a .520 hitting percentage. Senior Zach Zelenik had 26 assists to go with three service aces and six digs.
The second match of the day against Millikin was all Sabres from start to finish as Marian hit .351 as a team to earn a 25-15, 25-10, and 25-13 victory. The Sabres recorded double-digit kills in each set with 16 coming in the final set of the day. The Sabre defense also was strong holding Millikin to a -.085 hitting percentage.
Wills finished with another 11 kills while junior Cam Muller posted nine kills off of a .571 hitting percentage. Senior Blake Badtke led the back row with nine kills, and Zelenik had 26 assists with another pair of service aces.
Marian returns home to host a triangular with Wabash and Maranatha Baptist Saturday, January 29 beginning at 11 a.m.
