Sports

Braves Minor League Recap

Published

5 months ago

August 10, 2025

While most players are expected to struggle immediately after returning from Tommy John surgery Owen Murphy has looked better than ever in his first couple of games back with the Rome Emperors. The Atlanta Braves 2022 first round pick has picked up right where he left off last season, and is making a case already for a late season call up to Double-A. He has yet to allow a run in three appearances this season and cruised through five hitless innings on Saturday.

(47-65) Gwinnett Stripers 1, (48-60) Columbus Clippers 2

Jarred Kelenic, CF: 1-4, 2B, .217/.288/.317
Luke Waddell, SS: 1-4, 2B, RBI, .287/.392/.372
Nathan Wiles, SP: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 2.99 ERA

The 2025 version of the Gwinnett Stripers has seen worst offensive showings than their one run, five hit affair on Tuesday, but it’s pretty close to taking the title. They actually started the game off with a couple of hard hit balls in the first inning, but Luke Waddell hit his straight into the ground and Carlos Rodriguez’s hot shot went straight to the right fielder, ending a routine first inning. Those two batted balls were far and away the best struck balls the Stripers had through the first five innings as they limped out of the gates but were saved by a great pitching performance from Nathan Wiles. Cal Conley nearly gave them a leadoff double in the sixth inning, hitting a deep fly ball to the warning track in left center field, but the center fielder made an incredible sliding catch going back to the wall to rob the hit. He paid the price as well, as he jammed his knee into the concrete under the padding and had to be removed from the game. The Stripers were swinging early and often in these at bats, and as a result they couldn’t chase Clippers starter Austin Peterson from the game until the ninth inning. On the fourth time through the order they finally got two hard hit balls again, with Jarred Kelenic and Luke Waddell lacing back-to-back doubles which brought the game within a run and ended Peterson’s big for a shutout. Waddell was able to advance on a ground out from Rodriguez to move 90 feet from scoring the tying run, but was ultimately stranded and the Stripers lost a miserable 2-1 game.

Were it not for a magnificent game out of Nathan Wiles this could have been a lot uglier, but he was doing a great job of landing pitches just off of the plate and taking advantage of Clippers hitters who were willing to go fishing. He had particular success getting them to chase and miss his changeup, which provided the bulk of his swing-and-miss and allowed him to rack up nine strikeouts in just five innings of work. The only even reasonably hard contact came on a chopper in the first inning, otherwise Wiles allowed no hard hit balls and was in complete control of the game from pitch one. The moment he left the game flipped on its head. Zach Thompson walked the first batter he faced to create immediate trouble, then had a line drive sneak past the outstretched glove of Cal Conley for a hit. A jam-shot bloop single loaded the bases, and though Thompson was able to get the next three batters neither of the grounders hit were hard enough to turn two on so two runners were able to score to put Columbus in the lead.

Swing and Misses

Nathan Wiles – 15

Zach Thompson – 4

(44-60) Columbus Clingstones 3, (36-70) Rocket City Trash Pandas 7

Jim Jarvis, 3B: 2-5, 2B, .250/.294/.344
Patrick Clohisy, CF: 3-4, HR, BB, .406/.457/.594
Drue Hackenberg, SP: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 8.31 ERA

It wasn’t a great start for Drue Hackenberg, but relative to the rest of his body of work since coming off of the injured this represents a significant step in the right direction for him. He had his ups and downs throughout his outing with his command, but overall was landing his sinker and curveball much better than he has in prior outings despite losing three guys on walks. Deep counts were really his nemesis this outing, as he would either get ahead of guys and then struggle to put them away or would fall behind and have to battle back in counts. He mostly limited hard contact, though especially in the fourth inning his cutter lived too much in the middle of the strike zone. He allowed a leadoff hit on a cutter (though he picked the guy off) then left a curveball in the strike zone that got tagged for a home run, representing the worst two batter sequence for him in the game. One mistake curveball in comparison to the amount he threw well this game isn’t going to jump off of the page, though it was the loudest play of the game, and Hackenberg’s numbers may not have shown it but this was definitely a step forward throughout his arsenal.

This game got off to a rocking start for the Clingstones offense, and it was all thanks to Patrick Clohisy who has been unbelievable since his promotion to Columbus. Clohisy got a first pitch fastball (in a left-on-left matchup) and he wasn’t going to wait to see anything else, sitting and turning on that pitch for a home run. Clohisy would reach base in three of his other four plate appearances, though the two weak ground balls (one that got beat out for a single) were far from his best contact. He made up for that by smoking a line drive single in the ninth inning to complete his three-hit showing, and so far in August he has already surpassed his July extra base hit total. The rest of the lineup struggled to string hits together, though Jim Jarvis did have a two-hit day. His strikeouts have been pretty high so far this month for the Clingstones – this is already his second-highest strikeout month and three off of his season high for a month – but he has three doubles so far and dating back to his last few games prior to the trade he has started getting extra base hits far more often than in his previous month and a half. In his last 14 games between the two systems he has seven total extra base hits, and he has reached base in all 14 of those games. Speaking of on-base streaks, Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. eked out a walk in this game to extend his streak to 16 games. Kilpatrick has been awful this season, but has been known in the past to go on crazy streaks and seems to be in the midst of one. Since the all star break he has cut his strikeout rate to just a hair over 20%, and while he hasn’t drawn many walks and is relying on a high BABIP, this is easily his best Double-A stretch both in contact and power. He went from June 8th through the all star break without an extra base hit, but since then has four extra base hits.

Swing and Misses

Drue Hackenberg – 13

Amos Willingham – 7

Rolddy Munoz – 5

(44-61) Rome Emperors 0, (54-53) Greenville Drive 1

Colby Jones, SS: 0-4, .294/.351/.324
Isaiah Drake, CF: 1-4, .265/.306/.294
Owen Murphy, SP: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 0.00 ERA
Isaac Gallegos, RP: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 3.66 ERA

You’re not really supposed to be as good as Owen Murphy is this soon after Tommy John surgery. He hasn’t been perfect, and as expected has been spraying his fastball at the zone a bit, and he was especially wild early in this game. Murphy was struggling to land anything close in the first couple of innings, but after the third inning he locked in with all of his pitches and started to dominate the game with weak contact and solid secondary pitches. The Drive weren’t missing his fastballs much when they swung, but they were swinging at the top of the strike zone and weren’t able to get center on the ball instead popping the ball up a lot. Murphy was able to drop in some impressive sliders in the later innings after really missing high with them early, using that to get whiffs more than he did in most games last season. He integrated a slow curveball in the mid-70’s quite a lot the second time through the batting order, getting a mix of whiffs and called strikes that made that his most effective pitch in limited usage. Murphy’s command, especially early in outings, isn’t quite where it was last season and might not be ready for Double-A just yet, but he is showing flashes of being too good for hitters at the High-A level. With one or two more good outings, especially if his fastball location can improve quickly, he may force the Braves hand and earn a call up for the last few starts of the season. His velocity across his pitches has been steady and he hasn’t been seeing a dip late into games, which is a great sign for him moving forward.

For as good as Murphy and the pitching staff looked, there was not much positive to take away from the Emperors on offense. The prospects in this game didn’t look particularly great, and when they did get opportunities the team went 0-7 with runners in scoring position. The most egregious offense came in the seventh inning when a walk to Justin Janas and an Ambioris Tavarez hit by pitch had two runners on base with no outs, only for the next three hitters fail to come through in a 0-0 game. Tyler Tolve cracked a fly ball to center field that did advance Janas to third base, but a shallow fly out and a weak ground out ensured the game stayed tied. Isaiah Drake had a tough assignment with three at bats against lefty starter Shea Sprague, and he held his own well enough. He had a great at bat in the first inning that ended with a ground out over to the left side, then in the second at bat hooked a ball and floated it into right field for a hit. He rolled over a pitch in his third at bat, then in his final plate appearance worked a deep count but struck out with a runner in scoring position. Drake has not been able to get much power going and is struggling a bit against pitchers that are able to locate better, but so far in a small sample he has been able to make plenty of contact since his promotion.

Swing and Misses

Owen Murphy – 9

Isaac Gallegos – 4

(55-49) Augusta GreenJackets 11, (56-49) Charleston RiverDogs 2

Eric Hartman, CF: 1-4, 2B, BB, RBI, .251/.356/.403
John Gil, SS: 3-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .242/.332/.342
Owen Carey, LF: 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, .261/.336/.342
Rayven Antonio, SP: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 3.32 ERA
Jacob Schafer, RP: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 2.70 ERA

All of the offense for Saturday got saved for one game, and what a beautiful breakout it was for John Gil. Gil’s season has been marked by pretty poor contact quality and power production overall, but his swing and approach has been making steady strides for a fair while now. Entering this game his power production was sitting around league average since the start of June, but since July 1st he has really come into his own with a .145 isolated power and a 14% strikeout rate entering Saturday. Then he went 3-5 with two home runs, and even this late in the season it made a huge impact in his numbers. He just missed one in the first inning with a loud fly out to left field, but his second time up he made the pitcher pay for leaving a first pitch fastball over the zone, clearing the wall in left for a two-run home run. He snuck a single up the in his next at bat for his second hit before capping off his day by mashing another home run in the seventh inning. Suddenly he went from two to four home runs on the season, and his already impressive numbers since July 1st jumped to incredible levels. Gil is now hitting .283/.353/.517 with a 13% strikeout rate and seven XBH in his 16 games since the start of July, and even if you extend it back a month to reduce the impact of this game the numbers are fantastic. Since June 1st he has played in 38 games with 13 extra base hits (3 HR), 12.8% walk rate, 10.5% strikeout rate, and a .219/.324/.356 line despite only a .229 BABIP.

Gil wasn’t the only hitter in Augusta’s lineup, and of course Eric Hartman and Owen Carey had to have their hands on this game. Hartman smoked a curveball that stayed in the strike for a first inning double, leading to the game’s first run, though he didn’t make much noise afterwards. Hartman has been rock solid at the top of the lineup since coming back from injury at the start of July, maintaining a strong power/contact pace. He’s hitting .293/.366/.465 in that 26 game span, and has done a great job cutting down strikeouts in the leadoff spot with an 18.6% strikeout rate since returning. Owen Carey drove in that first run of the game, ripping a double into the gap to score Hartman. Carey backed that up with another double and a single later in the game, and in the eighth inning he hit a sharp fly ball that the right fielder was able to track down. Carey was quiet for awhile and his power numbers have dipped since earlier in the season, but since the start of August he has picked up the pace. He has hit safely in seven of his past eight games with only three strikeouts in that span, and he has nine hits in his past four games.

On the mound the GreenJackets turned to Rayven Antonio, who for the third time in four outings struggled especially with his command. This wasn’t a complete blow up for him and he was able to make competitive pitches, he just hasn’t had his stuff lately and it’s likely the point in the season that fatigue is really starting to wear him down. He has nearly doubled his career high in innings pitched and pitches thrown at this point, so a little bit of wear is not a major red flag for him. Hopefully he can end the season strong, but if he does have a tough month it probably shouldn’t be held against him as long as he can come out next season and pitch a bit deeper with good results. Overall he has been incredible this season and it sucks to see him hit a poor spell like this, but he has maintained his stuff and seems poised to take another step next season. Jacob Shafer’s work out of the bullpen was massive this game, as he dominated to keep the score at two runs through the middle innings while the offense pulled away. Shafer has been out most of the season with injury and was a bit shaky his first two times out, but he throws a sharp slider that comes in only 4-5 mph below his fastball that should be a very effective pitch at any level.

Swing and Misses

Jacob Schafer – 13

Rayven Antonio – 7

(19-28) DSL Braves 2, (22-25) DSL Royals Fortuna 4

Angel Carmona, SS: 1-4, BB, .222/.338/.370
Manuel Campos, 2B: 2-4, BB, .266/.376/.349

It really feels like the DSL Braves should have won this game, with three more baserunners, an extra stolen base, and an extra hit with runners in scoring position than the Royals, but they ended up falling two runs short thanks to a two-run rally in the ninth inning. Manuel Campos had another big day at the plate with two hits and a walk, giving him a three game run with eight hits, a walk, and three extra base hits. Campos has been the most consistent bat on this team all season, and while the walk numbers are lower than you like to see from prospects at this level he has hit for reasonable power with good contact all year. Angel Carmona reached base twice, and he has been solid since returning to action especially since the start of August. He has seven hits and six walks in his past six games, and while the strikeouts would ideally be lower than they are the amount of time he missed does excuse that a bit and the contact quality has reportedly been impressive.

Sports

Several Hornets Make Season Debuts at Burg Open

Published

2 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Lynchburg, Va. – The University of Lynchburg indoor track & field teams hosted the Burg Open to resume competition for the 2025-2026 season at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex.

Although the Hornets competed in their third indoor meet, several distance athletes made their season debuts following an extended training block. On the field events side, Lynchburg posted 23 top-10 performances, including individual victories in the women’s weight throw and men’s high jump.

For the men’s team, Lamont Victoria and Alex Jordan earned first-place finishes against stellar competition. Victoria bested the field in the men’s high jump by clearing the 6′ 9″ (2.06m) bar, while Aidan Hipp finished second at the 6′ 5¾” (1.98m) height. Elijah Rose and Jaren Lee (6′ 3¾” or 1.93m) earned third and fourth, respectively.

Alex Jordan posted an 8:24.78 performance in the men’s 3,000m to win the race, which featured 11 Hornets. Jack Weddle clinched second with an 8:32.30 result, while Mercer Alden accelerated into third with an 8:45.82 finish.

Delaney Saulsbury led the women’s 3,000m coast-to-coast and registered a personal-best 10:40.53 for first place. Winter Tietjen posted 10:46.70 for second place in her collegiate track debut, while Mya Baker earned 10:48.84 for third.

Rylee Turner also secured a pair of podium finishes, clocking 7.95 for third in the 60-meter dash finals and 26.02 for second in the 200-meter dash. In the 400m, Kaitlyn Ruiz crossed the line in 59.99 for second, while Parker Marshall finished fifth in the men’s race with a 51.33 result.

In jumping events, Kacey Kelly displayed her versatility with three top-10 finishes. The senior placed second in the women’s triple jump with a 36′ 3¼” (11.06m), fourth in the women’s long jump (16′ 8¾” or 5.10m) and sixth in the women’s 60-meter hurdles (10.84).

First-year Audrey Lacombe joined Kelly with a sixth-place mark in the women’s triple jump (30′ 11″ or 9.42m) and an eighth-place finish in the women’s 60-meter hurdle final (11.11).

Kenzie Swicegood earned her third first-place finish of the season with an individual victory in the women’s weight throw, posting a 53′ 4½” (16.27m) throw. The former Old Dominion Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Week also claimed a fourth-place finish in the women’s shot put with a 37′ 1″ (11.30m) performance.

The Hornets registered 11 top-ten finishes between the women’s weight throw and shot put, and Kya Rucker joined Swicegood on the podium for the weight throw with a 46′ 3¾” (14.12m) mark.

To round out the day, the women’s 4x400m relay team clocked 4:04.72 for second in the field, while the men’s 4x400m squad clinched 3:20.39 for second.

Lynchburg returns to action on Friday, Jan. 16 and Saturday, Jan. 17 with a split-squad weekend, traveling to the Virginia Tech Invitational and Finn Pincus Invitational, hosted by Roanoke College.

For full results from the Burg Open, click here.

Visit Lynchburg athletics’ home online, LynchburgSports.com, anytime for up-to-the-minute news on all Hornets sports and coverage from the Lynchburg Hornets Sports Network.

Give Lynchburg Sports a like on Facebook, and follow Lynchburg athletics on Instagram, Threads, and X.

–LYN–

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CSUN Improves to 2-0 After Holding Off Harvard in Four Sets

Published

3 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Your Sports Nation

GOLETA, Calif. — Joao Favarim and Hank Kaufman powered a balanced attack as CSUN defeated Harvard 25-16, 25-19, 26-28, 25-18 to improve to 2-0 at the Asics Invitational Friday afternoon at UCSB’s Rob Gym.

CSUN (2-0) struggled a times offensively, hitting .206 as a team, but controlled the match with steady serving and a strong block. The Matadors finished with a 9.5–7 edge in total team blocks as Favarim had a match-high six block assists. The sophomore middle also led the Matadors offensively with 10 kills on 17 swings to hit .471. Kaufman finished the match with nine kills (.065), two aces, and two blocks, while senior Shane Nhem chipped in six kills (.455) and a pair of blocks.

Setter Owen Douphner helped CSUN to a sizable 10-4 edge in team aces as he served a career-high five in the win. Doughner directed the offense with 30 assists and chipped in five kills, as CSUN placed four players in double figures in points. Shane Nhem added six kills on .455 hitting, and Joao Avila contributed a match-high 10 digs, seven kills (.214), and two aces.

CSUN jumped out early, rolling to a convincing win in the opening set behind efficient sideout play and four aces. The Matadors carried that momentum into the second set, pulling away late to take a two-set lead.

Harvard (0-2) extended the match by outlasting CSUN in a tightly contested third set, but the Matadors responded with their most complete effort in the fourth. CSUN broke open a close set with a decisive run midway through and closed the match on a kill by Grayson Albers.

Sawyer Nichols led Harvard with 15 kills, but the Crimson hit just .037 for the match and struggled to find consistency against the CSUN block and serve pressure.

HEAD COACH THEO EDWARDS SAID

“I thought we were inconsistent at times today. We had four guys out there that are starting to really learn how to do this and how to play at a consistent level. There were some great performances; Owen (Doughner) commanded the match for the most part. For me, it’s just about us learning and making progress throughout the season. Part of the struggle for us today was playing back-to-back days. We’re having some conversations about that and how to get the proper rest and get ready for tomorrow.”

UP NEXT

CSUN concludes the 2026 Asics Invitational on Saturday afternoon, meeting Kentucky State (0-1) at 4:30 p.m.

#GoMatadors

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2026 Season Opens in a Five-Set Thriller

Published

3 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Your Sports Nation

IRVINE, CALIF. – In a thrilling five-set showdown to kick off the 2026 men’s volleyball season, the Golden Eagles showcased heart, hustle, and plenty of promise in front of a spirited home crowd – ultimately falling in a close 3-2 (19-25, 25-22, 25-21, 27-29, 13-15) to Rockhurst. Despite the loss, CUI took numerous positive takeaways from an electric night of volleyball that highlighted depth, leadership, and grit.

Fresh into his Golden Eagle debut, Aidan Case delivered a standout performance, delivering 54 assists, which is currently tied for ninth in the CUI record books for a five-set match. His ability to distribute the ball kept the Green and Gold competitive through every set and provided real momentum swings for the Golden Eagles.

CUI’s offense was firing on all cylinders at times, with several players stepping up to the plate. Christian Galoppo led the Green and Gold with 15 kills and eight digs. Logan Whitaker and Nathan Habermas added 13 and 11, respectively.

Defensively, the Golden Eagles were active at the net, finishing with 10 total blocks. Players like Paul Schulties and Logan Whitaker were particularly disruptive to the Hawks’ offense, recording nine blocks between the two of them. The back row also made key plays that extended rallies and pressured Rockhurst’s offense. The energy never wavered, even as the match went the distance.

While the Green and Gold came up just short in their home opener, the performance laid a strong foundation for the rest of the season. The Golden Eagles will be on the road Sunday, January 11, to take on #1 UCLA at 5:00 PM in their first MPSF match-up.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SCHEDULE FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON

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Men’s Volleyball Sweeps St. Thomas Aquinas to Begin 2026 Campaign

Published

4 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Your Sports Nation

MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine men’s volleyball team (1-0) took three straight sets from the Spartans of Saint Thomas Aquinas (0-1) to open the 2026 season in Firestone Fieldhouse Friday night.

“It was great to start off our season with a win,” head coach Jonathan Winder said. “Our serving was really strong for a few stretches with Aidan Tune and Grant Lamoureux in different sets that opened up the games. All in all, pleased with the effort and focus of the group and ready to get prepared for Sunday’s game.”

In the closest of the three sets, the Waves went back and forth with the Spartans in the first, withstanding opposing runs while maintaining the lead. Hitting a monster .700, Cole Hartke led the squad with seven kills to give Pepperdine a 25-18 win in the opening set of the 2026 season.

Forcing a negative hitting percentage for STAC in the second set, the Waves kept the foot on the gas. Ryan Barnett and Lamoureux split the heavy lifting for Pepperdine with three kills on five attempts a piece. After a close set through the opening 14 points, Tune took his turn at the service line to compose the Waves, aiding in a 6-0 run on seven-straight serves to give Pepperdine a 20-11 lead. From there, it was smooth sailing as Pepperdine took the second set 25-17.

Five aces by Lamoureux highlighted the third and final set of the night as Pepperdine shut down the Spartans completely to close the night out. Six errors by the opposing side helped the Waves hold STAC to 12 points, finishing the sweep with a 25-12 set win.

WAVES VS. SPARTANS

PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set     K         E        TA       Pct
1         13      2         19       .579
2         12       2         22       .455
3         7         1         13       .462

STAC ATTACK BY SET
Set     K         E        TA       Pct
1         10       3         25       .280
2         7         9         24       -.083
3         7         6         19       .053

The Waves have the second home match of the weekend Sunday against Daemen. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. with streaming available on B1G+ (subscription required) and live stats available at www.pepperdinewaves.com

GAME NOTES
• Cole Hartke led the Waves offensively, hitting .381 on 21 attempts.
• Grant Lamoureux shined from the service line, leading the Waves with five aces.
• The Waves only recorded five errors on the night, compared to the Spartans 18.
• Noé Matthey had a hand in the most blocks tonight, with three assists and one solo block.
• Andrej Polomac recorded over 85 percent of Pepperdine’s assists with 26.
• Polomac also led the team in digs with five.
• Zach Chapin, Matthey, Polomac, Lamoureux, and Ford Harman made their Wave debuts tonight.
• Chapin recorded an ace in his third collegiate set.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Pepperdine men’s volleyball boasts one of the richest histories in collegiate volleyball, with five NCAA National Championships. Four of those championships came under the direction of Hall of Fame coach Marv Dunphy who totaled 612 victories in 34 seasons at the helm. With 19 NCAA Appearances and 63 All-Americans, the program has consistently been a destination for top talent across the country. Under current head coach Jonathan Winder, the Waves reached the NCAA Final Four in his third season at the helm in 2025.

TICKETS
For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.

FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women’s soccer news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineMVB_ .

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Men’s Volleyball Falls In Season Opener At #3 Long Beach State

Published

4 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Your Sports Nation

LONG BEACH, CA. – The Lindenwood Men’s Volleyball team (0-1, 0-0 MIVA) fell in their season opener on the road at #3 Long Beach State in three sets by scores of 21-25, 16-25, 20-25. Luke Kraft led the Lions in kills with seven in his first game in a Black and Gold uniform while Zach Solomon led the team in assists with 22.

In the first set, both teams went back and forth early. Trailing 6-4, the Lions went on a 4-0 run as Caden Whiteside had a kill during the run to put LU in front 8-6. The Beach responded with an 8-2 run of their own to take control of the first set by a score of 14-10. Amir Grant and Brendan Louthain each had a kill following the LBSU run to cut the deficit to three at 17-14, but the Beach were able to use their run in the middle of the opening set and protect their lead to take the first set by a score of 25-21. In set two, Long Beach State was able to limit the Lions to a hitting percentage of 0.033% and recorded five blocks in the middle set. LBSU won the set by a score of 25-16 and Luke Kraft led the Lions with three kills in the middle frame.

The third set saw the Lions take a 15-13 lead into the media timeout thanks to two kills each from Grant and Kraft. Kraft also had a block assist and solo block in the third set which helped give the Lions the lead in the middle of the set. However, out of the media timeout Long Beach State went on a 7-1 run and took a 20-16 lead. The Beach never gave the lead up after that and went on to complete the sweep over the Lions, winning the final set by a score of 25-20.

Lindenwood will now head to Costa Mesa, CA tomorrow where they will wrap up their first road trip of the season at Vanguard University. First serve is set for 4 p.m. CT.

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Men’s Volleyball Drops Rematch With Loyola Chicago In Four Sets

Published

4 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Your Sports Nation

HONOLULU – The second-ranked University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team valiantly battled back from an 2-0 deficit before falling in four sets to No. 7 Loyola Chicago Friday to close out a two-match series at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Set scores were 25-23, 25-22, 24-26, 29-27.

The teams split the season series for the second time in three years after UH took the opener in straight sets on Thursday.

The Rainbow Warriors (3-1) would not fold easily, rallying from a seven-point deficit in Set 3 and fending off five match points in Set 4. Ultimately, the Ramblers pulled off the upset with a block on their seventh match point.

Hawai’i committed 25 attack errors and allowed eight service aces and 15.5 blocks in virtually a repeat of the teams’ 2024 series in which the Warriors won the opener in straight sets and dropped the rematch in five.

Louis Sakanoko recorded his first career double-double with 18 kills and 12 digs along with two service aces and two blocks. Kristian Titriyski added 16 kills before giving way to Kainoa Wade in the third set. Wade finished the match with four kills, one ace, and three digs.

Adrien Roure added nine kills in 26 errorless attempts, nine digs and five blocks while Ofeck Hazan, who started in place of Trevell Jordan, posted five kills and five blocks. Tread Rosenthal dished out 50 assists along with seven digs and four blocks and Quintin Greenidge tallied 13 digs.

The Ramblers (1-1) were led by Aleksandar Sosa’s match-high 19 kills. Setter Ryan McElligott had five of the team’s eight aces along with 11 digs and four blocks.

Loyola led big early in Set 1 after McElligott fueled an 8-0 run with three aces. UH chipped away and tied it at 22 after an ace by Wade but McElligott’s fourth ace closed out the set. In Set 2, the Ramblers rallied from a 21-19 deficit and out-scored Hawai’i 6-1 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

UH trailed by as much as seven in Set 3 including 20-13. But again, the Warriors would not go away, scoring four straight, including two kills by Wade and an ace by Sakanoko to tie it at 23. After a Rambler point, UH’s block came alive during a 3-0 run to steal the set.

Hawai’i reeled off five straight points for a 13-11 lead in Set 4. The Ramblers tied it and surged ahead 20-18 after a three-point run before the Warriors tied it at 20. Loyola jumped back ahead but Hawai’i rallied to tie it at 23. From there, the teams traded side-outs until the Ramblers blocked Hazan to end it.

The Warriors will next host a pair of doubleheaders next week against Roberts Wesleyan and Rockhurst, Wednesday, Jan. 14 and Friday, Jan. 16 at Bankoh Arena. Match times are 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. each day.