Men’s volleyball powers past William Jessup

The Jacks dominated with a clean three-set sweep. They continue their unbeaten streak, winning 25-13, 25-13, 25-14

On Saturday night the men’s HSU volleyball team improved to 6-0 overall after defeating William Jessup Warriors inside the Lumberjack Arena Saturday. The Jacks were able to play above the net without obstruction from the opposing team’s blockers. Their offensive spikes went straight down into the Warrior’s defense where they rarely played the ball smoothly to an outside setter.

Team captain, Carter Eyrich said it was a good feeling mixing up.

“The jump serves were getting aces, but also we were able to cool it down and float some in there,” Eyrich said. “For the most part, we created some great setups. And we were able to put it away each time. I got kills, but it was a team effort today for sure.”

Both teams opened the game with a lengthy rally. Jacks middle hitter Andrew Rauchway connected with a hard outside spike that sent the ball straight into the net. The Warriors took over possession and an early 3-2 lead. Number four on the Warriors served the ball out of play resulting in a service error. The slight edge they built vanished off the side of the mishit serve.

While the Warriors continued their offensive mistakes the Jacks started to settle in. The Jacks defense and blockers stabilized the initial spike, allowing their setters to place the ball just above the net for heavy spikes. This recipe helped attacker Micheal Jacobs ramp up the energy and start bouncing around the gym covering multiple spots on the court. Jacobs confidence and ability to get above the Warriors blockers led him to 18 kills.

“I gotta be the hype man,” Jacobs said. “I come from a football background, and volleyball guys seem more relaxed but let’s bring the excitement.”

The Warriors fought back but couldn’t handle the setting accuracy of the Jacks. The Jacks set up fake spikes to the left and right helping either Eyrich, Jacobs, or Rauchway get the kills in the attacking zone. The 3-2 lead early would be the final time the Warriors had any hope during the game. The score climbed to 18-10 in a hurry, forcing the Warriors to call a timeout. The strategic timeout and late match substitutions would prove ineffective as the Jacks take game one 25-14.

“We basically did everything right beside some serves and errors,” Rauchway Said. “If we clean that up we could potentially win some games 25-2 or 25-1.”

The Jacks remained talkative, calling out plays and reading the Warriors one-dimensional offense. Blockers were in position ready to set a wall before the attacking Warriors started their set. The Jacks built a 16 to 9 lead that grew to a 25-13 win in game two.

Game three started worse for the Warriors falling behind 7-0 early. The body language was night and day for the two teams. The Jacks went for the kill, doubling down with their power spikes. At one point the Warriors started to turn away from the incoming rockets disguised as volleyballs. The Warriors defensive specialists stopped digging out hard spikes from the Jacks attackers. Jump serves looked to sting the forearms of the Warriors and slowly broke the cheers and their final hope of a comeback.

An unfortunate injury to setter number eight Raul Roman occurred late in game three. Roman went down on the far side of the court clutching is foot or ankle and staying down for a while as the gym went silent. Roman finally was helped to his feet but didn’t put any weight on it as he was sat down on the training table. Roman would not return to action but didn’t need to as the game was already coming to a close and the Jacks dominated a 25-14 win in game three.

“It was tough seeing one of our setters go down but we stayed strong,” Eyrich said. “We dropped some points after that but we were able to take a breather. We came back as a team and I’m excited to see what’s next for us”

Catch HSU volleyball action live this Saturday against Sacramento State in the Lumberjack Arena at noon.