CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Queens University of Charlotte men's volleyball team battled the No. 20-ranked Purdue Fort Wayne in four sets on Friday night, falling to the Mastodons by a 3-1 score (25-22, 19-25, 17-25, 26-28).
REMARKS FROM HEAD COACH JEREMY PRICE
"We made some quality, quality hits," Head Coach Jeremy Price said. "I thought Shaphar [Grant] and Brink [Jack Brinkman] did a really good job. But it's conference play, and we have to continue to raise our level. We need to block a little better … We learned last week how hard it is to play back-to-back, but I thought we learned some lessons and hope we flip the result tomorrow."
The Royals' .321 hitting percentage was the deciding factor in their first set win, snagging 14 kills with five errors on 28 attempts. Offensive plays from Brinkman and Chance Shampine sparked a run in the frame as Queens took a 15-12 lead midway through. Despite rallies led by standout Mastodon Jon Deidrich, the Royals maintained their lead until the final 25-22 score.
In the second, the Mastodons gained their biggest lead at the 19-14 mark. A kill from Brinkman, An attack error from Purdue Fort Wayne, and an ace brought the Royals within two points before a later slew of Royals miscues aided the Mastodons in the 25-19 finish.
Purdue Fort Wayne made an early 5-0 run in the third. The Royals pieced together a comeback led by a kill from Grant, but another five-point rally from the Mastodons sealed the 25-17 set.
The fourth set saw a back-and-forth affair, going all the way to a 28-26 finish. Queens jumped ahead and maintained a lead until the Mastodons crawled their way back within two points at the 20-18 mark. A Kill from Ruben Emmerich and a service error pushed Queens ahead with a comfortable lead before five-straight points went in Purdue Fort Wayne's favor, tying the match at 24. Deidrich made the difference in the end of the set for his squad, leading through the final 28-26 hard-battled frame.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Brinkman secured his third double-digit kill match in a row with 12 kills to lead the Royals. Emmerich secured a season-high 10 kills on the night while Daniel Leitao contributed a leading 35 assists and three blocks. Stirling Sims also finished off the match with three blocks and led with two aces.
Diedrich led the Mastodons with 17 kills and four aces.
UP NEXT
Next, the Royals finish off the two-match series against Purdue Fort Wayne with a 3 PM start inside the Levine Center tomorrow, Feb. 10.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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