(CHARLESTON, W.Va.) – The Thomas More University men's volleyball team dropped their season opener on the road Friday night to the University of Charleston Golden Eagles, 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-15). They fall to 0-1 this season.
- The Saints trailed 5-4 early in the first set, but a 10-6 Golden Eagles run pushed them ahead 15-10 and gave them all the momentum.
- With the score at 16-11, a 9-2 Charleston run sealed the deal and gave them a 1-0 lead in the match.
- Set two was the Saints best set overall, as they hung tough with the Golden Eagles.
- After falling behind by a pair several times early on, the Saints tied the set at 13-13.
- The trio of Jacob Wehrman (Milford, Ohio/Milford), Cameron Ware (Pearland, Texas/Turner), and Mason Collver (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) led the Saints during the set.
- An 8-4 run put Charleston ahead for good at 21-17. The Saints clawed back within two at 22-20 with kills coming from Wehrman and Collver, but it wasn't enough.
- Charleston got off to an 11-3 start in the final set.
- A 7-3 Saints rally cut the lead to four at 14-10. A pair of Ware aces paired with a Will Busken (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) kill and ace fueled the run.
- A 5-1 Golden Eagles flurry dashed any hopes of a Thomas More comeback as they took a 19-11 lead and would ultimately put the set away at 25-15.
- Sophomore Ben Albers (Delhi, Ohio/Elder) led the Saints with eight kills, while Collver added seven.
- Senior Jonathan Litzler (Edgewood, Ky./St. Henry) led with six digs while Albers had five.
- Ware and Busken both had two aces, and Busken added two block assists.
Thomas More is right back in action tomorrow afternoon in West Virginia, taking on Alderson Broaddus University for the first time in program history at 2:00 p.m.
