VOLLEYBALL
Little Giants rally for five-set win at Calvin
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Wabash won the first two sets of Saturday’s Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League game at Calvin University, then needed a 16-14 win in a fifth-set tiebreaker to earn a 3-2 victory over the host Knights.
Wabash (13-7, 2-2 MCVL) won the first two sets by identical 25-23 scores. The two teams traded ten lead changes with 27 ties in the opening two sets. Calvin (6-13, 0-2 MCVL) controlled the third set from start to finish to earn a 25-21 victory. Wabash trailed most of the fourth set before tying the score at 15-15. Calvin took control once again to win 25-20, forcing a fifth-set tiebreaker.
Calvin took an early 3-1 lead in the final set. Wabash came roaring back, tying the score at 5-5 before the Knights regained the advantage once again. The Little Giants evened the score at 11-11, then got to match point with a 14-13 lead. An attack error tied the score again at 14-14, but a kill from Bawibawi Thang and an attack error by Calvin gave Wabash the final two points and a 16-14 victory.
Thang paced the Wabash offense with 14 kills. Zev Wolverton scored 11 kills, and Patrick Volk put away 10 kills. Will Beikes accounted for 36 assists. Wolverton led the Little Giants defensively with 15 digs. Wabash combined for ten team blocks. Jackson Leeper finished with a solo block and five block assists. Volk added five block assists to the team totals.
Wabash travels to Missouri next weekend for its final regular season road trip. The Little Giants play at Westminster College on Friday before playing at Maryville University on Saturday.
LACROSSE
Wabash completes spring break trip with 9-2 win at Virginia Wesleyan
VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia —The Wabash College lacrosse team outscored Virginia Wesleyan 5-2 over the final 30 minutes of Friday evening’s game to claim a 9-2 victory to wrap up the Little Giants’ spring break trip.
Wabash (6-2) took a 2-1 lead on goals from Blake Stephens and Charlie Rafalko in the first period. Rafalko added two more goals in the second period to put the Little Giants in front 4-1 at halftime.
Will Sorg added a pair of third-period goals, along with goals by Sam Santiago and Cooper Navarro, as Wabash outscored Virginia Wesleyan (3-4) 4-1 to start the second half. Sorg scored again in the fourth period to cap the five-goal half for the Little Giants.
Rafalko and Sorg each finished with three goals. Evan Bair had two assists for Wabash. Virginia Wesleyan outshot the Little Giants 40-34. Wabash finished 1-of-5 in extra-man opportunities but held the Marlins scoreless in seven man-up opportunities.
Colin Krekeler made 12 saves in the game to earn the victory in goal for Wabash. Eli Backus and Luca Flaim finished with two caused turnovers on defense. Flaim, Backus, Santiago, Lucas Cunningham, and Luka DiFilippo each picked up two ground balls in the contest for the Little Giants.
Wabash begins the North Coast Athletic Conference portion of its schedule with a home contest against Kenyon College at 2 p.m. Saturday at Fischer Field.
