Life (Ga.) Spoils Program Home Opener for Reinhardt Tuesday Night

By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media

WALESKA, Ga. – The energy was high, and it matched the level of excitement the fans inside the Brown Athletic Center felt as men's volleyball took the court at home for the first time as a program on Tuesday night against Life (Ga.).

The first two sets could have gone in either direction, as both squads battled back-and-forth in each stanza until the very last point. The Running Eagles, however, would make the necessary plays to slip away from Reinhardt in the opening two games and ultimately take home a road sweep, 3-0 (23-25,23-25, 14-25).

"First off, I want to thank Dr. Mallard, the Board of Trustees, Coach Popp and all of Reinhardt for allowing this to happen," head coach CJ Shearer said. "This was the first home match in the history of Reinhardt men's volleyball, and I am so grateful to be a part of this. As far as the match, the guys were in the fight through two sets – and ultimately – I need to get them to a point where they feel confident closing matches. Matt Corrales and Chase Cross kept us afloat offensively and the block was solid at points; it's just breakdowns in tight moments I need to work on.

"Ultimately though, set three showed we need to work through some non-technical things. The fight was noticeably not there in set three, and I need to do a much better job pushing them to keep that no matter the situation. While there were some good moments to think on, we ultimately go into our small break searching for some mental answers. To God goes all the Glory."

The Eagles and their visitors were quite competitive for the hometown crowd in the first two sets, but errors on both sides of the net turned the tide on a potentially different outcome. Thirteen miscues put Reinhardt in tough spots it couldn't recover from as Life gained momentum and ultimately a 2-0 advantage. 

The hometown team played with lots of emotion, and it was evident it helped keep the score within reach, but the energy slowed in the third stanza as more miscues (8) started to pile up.

Individually, Chase Cross was out-front with 10 kills, while Matthew Corrales collected nine scores and hit .185. Ricardo Mujica posted a double-double with 22 assists and 10 digs on defense.

Reynaldo Medina had 12 defensive receptions and Nicolas Castro notched both of his club's aces from the serving line.

Reinhardt (2-8, 0-1 Mid-South Conference) looks to snap its skid in a week at NCAA Division II Emmanuel (Ga.) on Feb. 11 at 7 p.m.

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For more information on Reinhardt Men's Volleyball, please click here.