GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Calvin University men's volleyball team saw its season come to an end with a 3-1 defeat to Mount St. Joseph University (MSJU) on Saturday at Van Noord Arena by the scores of 19-25, 25-20, 25-22 and 25-22.
 
Calvin (8-18, 1-7 MCVL) started strong and won the opening set 25-19 thanks to a strong attack that hit .214 while holding MSJU (11-15, 3-5 MCVL) to a .000 attack efficiency.
 
The Lions grabbed the momentum early in the second set as they built a 20-12 lead before holding off a late Calvin charge to even the match at 1-1.
 
The Knights got off to a great start to the third game thanks to four early blocks that gave Calvin a 6-1 lead. The Lions roared back, however, tying the game at 13-13 and then doing just enough down the stretch to hold off the Knights for the 25-22 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
MSJU looked on the way to a dominant fourth set with a 16-7 lead, but Calvin fought all the way back with a big run to tie the set at 17-17 thanks to four Gabriel Laughlin (Grand Rapids, Mich./West Michigan Aviation Academy) kills. The two teams traded points down the stretch, but the Lions once again closed strong to secure the final two points and earn the 25-22 win.
 
Calvin hit .193 on the attack for the match, led by 12 kills by Laughlin and nine kills from Jake Davidson (Lowell, Mich./Lowell).
 
Giovanni Serafini (Sao Paulo, Brazil/American School of Sao Paulo) added six blocks and three kills, while Cameron Dogger (Holland, Mich./Zion Christian) finished with 22 assists and nine digs. Parker Steele (Boscobel, Wis./Boscobel) finished with a team-best 10 digs.
 
COACH'S COMMENT: "Really happy with how this second season turned out for us," Calvin men's volleyball head coach Spencer Fredrick said. "We only had seven returners come back from our first team and to be able to put together good wins and also some good fights in some close losses is affirming. The best part is we will not be graduating anyone and we will be able to develop these guys for at least another year. Thank you to everyone who supported us and a big thank you to everyone working behind the scenes, like our SIDs and game administrators, workers and refs."