DE PERE, Wis. – Marian University men’s volleyball (8-0, 1-0 NACC) set a program record with their eighth straight win defeating St. Norbert 18-25, 26-24, 25-15, and 25-12 to open NACC play.
The Sabres had a slow start as the offense couldn’t find a rhythm and SNC was able to record 15 kills to only three errors. Neither team led by more than two points in a tight second set that saw the Sabres trail late at 21-20. Marian would score the next three points to take a 23-21 edge but was unable to finish off their first set-point opportunity. A kill from sophomore Derek Wills and a block from the Sabres then evened the sets.
Using the momentum from the end of the second set, Marian jumped out to a 12-4 lead to open the third set. The Sabres cruised the remainder of the set and went ahead 2-1 after an 8-4 run. The fourth set was close at the start with the Sabres leading 15-10. Marian then left no doubt there wouldn’t be a comeback closing out the set with a 10-2 spurt.
Wills paced the Marian offense with 17 kills, while junior Cam Muller hit .421 and chipped in 10 kills. From the back row, sophomore Aaron Velasco led the way with 16 digs, and senior Zach Zelenik had a double-double behind 12 digs and 41 assists. Zelenik was also one of three Sabres with four blocks along with freshman Keanu Ouranitsas-Hayes and senior Liam Skinner.
Marian opens the Loras Tournament Saturday, February 5 taking on host Loras at 10:00 a.m. and Adrian at 12:30 p.m.
