The Lindenwood men's volleyball team (8-9, 3-5 MIVA) picked up a four-set victory over Erskine (9-7) on Thursday night in Lebanon, Ill.

MATCH OVERVIEW
Lindenwood was clicking on all cylinders in the opening set, hitting an outstanding .526. An ace from A.J. Lewis made the score 12-5 in favor of the Lions and forced an Erskine timeout. The black and gold maintained a comfortable advantage throughout the first set, which was finished off by Owen Walsh at 25-14. Walsh ended the opening stanza with a team-high five kills.

The Lions jumped out to a quick 8-3 lead in the second set and held a slim advantage during the majority of the second stanza. After taking an 18-13 lead behind an Ian Schuller kill, Erskine battled back, getting within one at 19-18. However, Lindenwood responded with four of the next five points, capped off by a block from Lewis and Owen Walsh. The Lions picked up the second set 25-21 and went up 2-0 in the match.

Erskine took an early 9-5 lead in the third, but the Lions battled back to tie things up at 12 apiece after a termination from Clay Wieter. The seesaw battle continued throughout the frame with the two teams trading points. The Flying Fleet gained some separation, going up 21-18 late in the third, which forced a Lindenwood timeout. Erskine closed out the third set 25-21.

After trailing 9-7 early in the fourth, Lindenwood responded with the next seven points to go up 14-9. The Lions held onto a slight lead throughout the set and took a 20-16 advantage after a Lewis ace. Lindenwood picked up the fourth set and the match 25-19 as Wieter finished it off with a kill.

GAME LEADERS
Clay Wieter (16 kills, .542 hit %, seven digs)
Connor Sheehan (41 assists, four digs)
Owen Walsh (five kills, .500 hit %, 2.5 blocks)

QUOTABLE
"Tonight I thought we executed well on the defensive end", said head coach Joe Kosciw. "We showed that we can win in a different way compared to how we previously have. Our defense was able to lead the way and get the job done. I'm looking forward to getting back in the practice gym and getting better day by day and game by game as we jump back into conference play."

UP NEXT
The Lions head to Fort Wayne, Ind. for a matchup with Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday, March 15. First serve is set for 6:00 p.m. CT.