ADRIAN, Mich. — Wabash closed out a perfect opening weekend of Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League road play Saturday afternoon, defeating Adrian College 3-1 at the Merillat Center to complete a 2-0 conference trip.
The Little Giants (4-8, 1-2 MCVL) won by set scores of 25-12, 20-25, 25-19, 25-18 , controlling the match with balanced offense and defensive pressure. Wabash finished with 48 kills and a .220 team hitting percentage (48-19-132) while limiting Adrian (3-4, 1-0) to a .039 attack percentage with 32 kills and 27 errors in 128 attempts. The Little Giants also held a 6.0-5.0 advantage in total team blocks and outdug the Bulldogs 56-51.
Bawibawi Thang led all players with 22 kills on 48 swings for a .333 hitting percentage and added 15 digs and two block assists for a match-high 24.0 points.
Shad Wilson added 11 kills, while
Zev Wolverton recorded seven kills and hit .316. Setter
Matthew Stitle orchestrated the offense with 40 assists and contributed five service aces.
Wabash established control early in the opening set, hitting .438 with 17 kills and only three errors. After building a narrow 4-3 lead, the Little Giants used a 5-1 surge highlighted by three Thang kills to stretch the margin to 12-7. Wabash continued to apply pressure, scoring six of the next eight points to extend the advantage to 18-9. Thang delivered eight kills in the set alone as Wabash sided out at an 84-percent rate (11-of-13). A late block by Stitle and
Jaden Greenwell closed out the 25-12 decision.
Adrian responded in the second set by breaking open a 3-3 tie with a 7-0 run that featured three service aces. The Bulldogs extended the lead to 14-5 before Wabash mounted a rally. Kills from Wilson and Wolverton, along with a Stitle ace, trimmed the deficit to 15-11. The Little Giants closed within three points several times, but Adrian maintained its edge to secure a 25-20 win. Wabash hit just .067 in the set with seven attack errors, while Adrian attacked at a .280 clip.
The third set proved decisive. The teams battled through seven tie scores and the lone lead change of the afternoon before Wabash took command late. With the score tied at 18-18, Stitle delivered a service ace and Wilson followed with a kill to ignite a 7-1 closing run. The Little Giants forced multiple Adrian errors during the stretch, including two attack miscues and a bad set, before Thang finished the set with a kill for a 25-19 victory. Adrian hit -.054 in the frame as Wabash's block and back-row defense disrupted the Bulldog attack.
Wabash carried that momentum into the fourth set. Back-to-back service aces by Stitle staked the Little Giants to a 3-0 lead, and they never trailed. Adrian pulled within 12-11 midway through the set, but Wabash answered with a 6-2 run fueled by kills from Thang, Wolverton and Greenwell to build an 18-13 advantage. The Little Giants hit .353 in the final set with 14 kills and only two errors and closed out the match at 25-18.
Sam Landers led Adrian with 15 kills, but the Bulldogs were unable to sustain offensive consistency against Wabash's defensive pressure and efficient side-out play.
With the victory, the Little Giants finish their opening MCVL road trip at 2-0 after recording a 3-0 victory in the league opener on Friday at the University of Olivet. Wabash continues MCVL action next Saturday with a 7 p.m. match at the University of Mount Union.
