February 26, 2008 | Box Score
LAMONI, IA- A week of high expectations started on a sour note as the Graceland University Men’s Volleyball team squared off against the #7 Johnson and Wales University Yellowjackets in the first of two-consecutive night matches. The Wildcats (8-3: 3-0 MAMVIC WEST) combined aggressive defensive with a smart offensive attack to stymie the Yellowjackets (2-8: 0-2 MAMVIC WEST) throughout the night. Game 1 began with the Yellowjackets to a strong 3-2 start after a serve from sophomore outside hitter Daniel Parish (St. Louis, MO) led to a crushing overpass kill by junior outside hitter Kevin Allison (Elgin, IL). Following an impressive kill out of serve receive by junior middle hitter Joe Klein (Richmond, MN) Graceland fell behind 14-17 due to several inconsistent passes forcing Graceland to be unable to muster a strong attack. Multiple service errors led to a JWU 28-24 advantage which they closed out easily winning the first set 30-24. Losing game 1 did not dishearten the Yellowjackets who came out fighting at the beginning whistle of game 2 with a solid block from freshmen middle hitter Calsen Agrade (Wahiawa, HI) and opposite hitter Josh Walters (Hilo, HI). A series of attacking errors had Graceland behind 6-8 until the a 4 point rally led by strong team defense put the Yellowjackets on top 16-12. Johnson and Wales came within 1 at 24-23 until a Klein serve receive kill silenced the uprising. However more inconsistent play from the Yellowjackets tied the game at 28. A Johnson and Wales service error tied it at 29 until the Yellowjackets won game 2 33-31 on a Walters service ace. Walters started Game 3 off where with how we ended the second set after a huge serve receive kill gave the Yellowjackets the first point of the game. Yet Graceland fell behind early and the Wildcats never looked back. The closest Graceland got was within 3 at 21-24. Several tough serves from Parish provided the spark for a late Graceland rally but the Wildcats finished strong winning the third game 30-25. In what turned out to be the worst start of the season, Graceland generously provided the Wildcats with a 10-0 lead. Two Johnson and Wales attacking errors and a thundering Parish overpass kill brought the Yellowjackets within 8 at the halfway point with the score 7-15. A Parish ace and an Agrade transition kill rallied the Yellowjackets closer within the closing points of the deciding set however the Wildcats quickly ended hopes of a fifth set defeating Graceland 30-23. After a respectable attack the first three sets, Graceland struggled to find court during the fourth and ended the night with a below-average .171 hitting efficiency. Unable to match their solid defensive efforts of the previous three matches the Yellowjackets only managed to block 1.25 blocks per game compared to the Wildcats impressive 2.25 blocks per game despite their small statures. Allison led the Yellowjackets with a triple-double on the night (a team-high 15 kills, 14 errors, and 15 digs). Walters and Klein provided the attacking momentum with Klein hitting a solid .393 (12 kills, 1 error, 28 attempts) and Walters ending the match hitting .308 (13 kills, 5 errors, 26 attempts). The Yellowjackets square off in a grudge-match tomorrow night against the Wildcats at 8pm in the Closson Center.
For More Information on Graceland University Athletics Contact: Matt Shelton, Sports Information Director (641) 784-5318 mshelton@graceland.edu
