Men's Volleyball Can't Close Out St. Andrews in Conference Action

By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media

WALESKA, Ga. – The Eagles came back home for more Mid-South Conference (MSC) action on Saturday night, but let victory slip out of their grasp as the Knights of St. Andrews (N.C.) came storming back from a 2-0 deficit to win, 3-2 (25-23,25-22,20-25,22-25,8-15) inside the Brown Athletic Center.

Reinhardt (4-11, 2-3 MSC) has now lost three-straight outings.

"Today was tough for a multitude of reasons," head coach CJ Shearer said. "The guys fought hard throughout, but let their inexperience and some emotions get the better of them down the stretch, while St. Andrews – an established team – was able to stay composed. That falls squarely on me, as it just shows I haven't done enough to get them ready to be in those moments. As we continue to improve and try to evolve, the mental game is the next hurdle to overcome. I'm proud of their fight, but I need to make sure next time we are in that situation, these guys are better equipped to handle things.

"As always, to God goes all the Glory." 

Matthew Corrales (.140 hitting percentage and two aces) was again out-front offensively with 18 kills, and joining him in double figures was Chase Cross with 12 kills and a pair of aces of his own. The Eagles, however, combined for 33 attack errors en route to a team total of .089, which enabled the visitors to slowly gain ground and take control of the match.

Ricardo Mujica continues to be a bright spot with 36 assists, while Reynaldo Medina was the only eagle in double-figure digs with 10; Corrales and Cross each had seven defensive receptions as well.

Defensively, Reinhardt collected 11 total blocks in the negative outcome. 

The team looks to turn around the slide down in the Sunshine State on Feb. 28 against Warner (Fla.) at 7 p.m.

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