ADRIAN, Mich. — The Adrian College men's volleyball team concluded the Adrian Quad with back to back wins over Maranatha Baptist University and a come from behind victory over Thiel College later in the evening. With the two wins Saturday, the Bulldogs capped off this weekend's Adrian Quad with two wins and one loss.   

MATCH 1

The Bulldogs were dominnt in all three sets against Maranatha Baptist Saturday morning. During the first match of the day Jalen Adams, Chase Heuer, and Jackson Palmitier recorded a combined 27 kills. With the help of the trio, the Bulldogs would double up Maranatha Baptist at the end of the first set as they took the 25-12 victory heading into the second. 

"We were able to throw in a few new faces that normally don't get to see the court. That's awesome to do. It means we are taking care of business", said head coach Jose Soto. In the second set, sophomore David Barona would help the Bulldogs convert three straight points to take a 24-14 lead over the Sabers. Barona finished second on the team with 11 assists in the match.  After taking control, the Bulldogs would win the set 25-18.

In the third and final set, the Bulldogs held their opponent to a match-low 11 points. 

"We are progressing and getting better and we took care of business quite well", explained coach Soto. The men's volleyball team dominated in the third set by recording a 11-0 run to take a 18-3 lead. During the set, the Bulldogs would record three runs where as a team they would score four or more consecutive points against Maranatha Baptist. 

MATCH 2

In the final match of the quad for the men's volleyball team, the Bulldogs would need a come-from-behind effort to take down Thiel College three sets to two Saturday. After dropping the first set 27-25, the Bulldogs would fight back, winning the second set 25-19. During the second, the men's volleyball team's focus and intensity shifted, as they would never trail in the set. 

"Yesterday we had a tough match with Central State, in which we were able to take a set off of them. They are a team that opened up their season with the likes of Ohio State and Penn State," said coach Soto. The Bulldogs, wanting to finish the quad strong, closed out the second set with three straight points. 

Coach Soto credited the noticeable positivity and energy that the men's volleyball team had brought today, which he did not see in yesterday's match against Central State. "The match outcome wasn't what we wanted, but we were able to compete in a portion of that match. On top of that, we definitely showed out differently today", said Soto.

After dropping set three, the Bulldogs dominated the remainder of the match, taking sets four and five by an average of 7.5 points. In both the fourth and fifth sets, the Bulldogs would never trail.  

"We have a lot more positives than negatives", said coach Soto, "The things we can always work on are our controlables: our attitude, our mindset, how we carry ourselves on the court". 

Coach Soto understands the growing pains of leading a younger team. Now, with the second half of the season in sight, he is ready for the Bulldogs to take the next step in the maturation process and bounce back from its mistakes heading into conference play.    

Top Dawgs 

In match one, Adams led all players with 11 kills (a career best), while Barona recorded five aces, Andrew Gawrisch chipped in with 17 assists, while Samuel Williams and Heuer each had 10 digs. 

In the second match of the day, Heuer led the Bulldogs with a match and season-high 20 kills. He also added a match-high of six aces. The freshman Bell recorded a match-high four blocks, while Gawrisch notched a match-high 18 assists.  
 

Historical Notes 

With the 3-0 victory over Maranatha Baptist University today, the Bulldogs continued its five-game win streak over the Sabers. Additionally, the men's volleyball team picked up its first-ever win over Thiel College Saturday. With their back-to-back victories, the men's volleyball team recorded its first double-digit win season for the first time since 2020. In 2020, the Bulldogs would go 10-9 before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now with a record of 10-5, the men's volleyball team has an opportunity to tie a program-best start through 16 games at 11-5, which the team last recorded in 2019.    

Up Next 

The Men's volleyball team will use the next 12 days to prepare for MCVL conference play. The Bulldogs will open conference play with back-to-back home games on March 3, against Baldwin Wallace University at 7:00 PM, and on March 4, against University of Mount Union.