Pride bounce back with resounding sweep win over Graceland

DUBUQUE, Iowa - What a difference 24 hours makes as the Clarke University men's volleyball team earned a 3-0 sweep victory over Graceland University on Friday night at the Kehl Center.

Just a day removed from a sweep defeat at the hands of No. 8 Park, the Pride earned a pair of set wins by eight or more points and the third in comeback fashion for set scores of 25-14, 25-21, and 25-17.

The Yellowjackets looked to avoid the sweep in the second set as they led at different points 5-1, 16-11, and 19-15 before CU ended the set on a 10-2 run to come back and win the set 25-21 then carry the momentum into the third and final set.

Blocks scored the final two points of the second set and were a big part of the Pride's victory as every player that took a rotation on the front row finished with at least a block assist toward the team's 10 total blocks led by Stephen Lewandowski's six blocks as he finished with five block assists and a solo block. Justin Hernandez added the other solo block and was in on two more block assists as Erik Schmidt added four block assists, Michael Pettke had three, while Tye Ojala and Timothy Meyer each had a block assist each.

Ojala and Hernandez tied for the team-lead with eight kills as both hit over .300 in the match with Ojala finished at .400 and Hernandez at .316 as the combo only had two errors apiece. Schmidt finished with 22 assits, four digs, and three aces along with his four blocks as Nick Palatine finished with eight digs, two assists, and three aces of his own.

Graceland didn't do themselves any favors as they finished with 38 errors either on the attack, serve, block, or setting combined with Clarke finishing with nine aces, which also go in as serve reception errors for GU in the statsheet.

Clarke will have the weekend off before starting a stretch of four-straight road matches starting next Tuesday when they travel to Des Moines, Iowa to take on No. 1 Grand View University.