Lawrence Tech sweeps Mount Vernon Nazarene in straight sets
| Set1 | Set2 | Set3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAW | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| MOU | 21 | 21 | 21 | 0 |
Lawrence Tech defeated Mount Vernon Nazarene (OH) 3-0 on Friday night, winning 25-21, 25-21, 25-21 at Ariel Arena in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The Blue Devils controlled the match with balanced attacking, steady distribution from setter Pedro Aguiar and a strong presence at the net, finishing with 41 kills, 38 assists and nine team blocks.
The opening set set the tone for the night. Mount Vernon grabbed an early point on a Tommy Tierney service ace, but Lawrence Tech answered quickly and built separation in the middle of the set. Mario Cid delivered a kill off an Aguiar assist to extend the Blue Devils' advantage to 12-7 during one of the team’s key runs. Lawrence Tech closed the set at 25-21 when a Mount Vernon attack error by Jackson Bush ended the frame.
The Blue Devils carried that control into the second set, again pulling ahead and forcing Mount Vernon to chase. The home side trimmed the margin with a service ace from Xander Devault that made it 17-12, but Lawrence Tech maintained enough sideout consistency to keep the lead intact. Nolan Meyer put away the final point of the set on another assist from Aguiar, giving Lawrence Tech a 2-0 match lead with a second straight 25-21 win.
Mount Vernon opened the third set with energy, helped by another early ace from Tierney, but Lawrence Tech responded with the same balance it showed all evening. Cid led the Blue Devils with 14 kills and 15.0 points, Yegor Volkov added 11 kills, 13.5 points and five block assists, and Gustavo Machado chipped in 10 kills. Aguiar directed the offense with 36 assists as Lawrence Tech placed three attackers in double figures.
Lawrence Tech’s edge at the net and cleaner overall attack proved decisive. The Blue Devils committed 11 attack errors compared with 21 for Mount Vernon, and they finished with a 9-4 advantage in team blocks. Cid added six digs and two block assists, while Machado had four digs and Volkov contributed four digs in addition to his front-row production. Mount Vernon was led by Tierney, who finished with 13 kills, 17.5 points, four service aces and six digs.
The match’s final stretch followed the pattern of the first two sets. Volkov hammered down a late kill from Aguiar to push Lawrence Tech to match point at 24-20, and the Blue Devils finished the sweep on a Mount Vernon service error by Devault. In front of an announced crowd of 127, Lawrence Tech closed out a straight-set road win with the same steady margin it held all night.
