SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (Jan. 10) -- The Thiel College men's volleyball team opened the 2025 season with a thrilling 5-set non-conference victory over Concordia University Chicago at Pam Smith Evans Arena in the Wittenberg Kickoff Classic Friday evening.

The Tomcats won by set scores of 25-17, 20-25, 25-22, 23-25 and 15-12 to rise to 1-0 on the year while the Cougars drop to 0-1. 

Thiel trailed 7-5 in the fifth set before a 5-1 spurt gave the Blue and Gold a 10-8 edge. The two sides exchanged side outs as Thiel clung to a 12-11 lead before a JC Govannucci (North Huntington, Pa./Norwin) kill followed by a Cougars attacking error gave Thiel 3 match points at 14-11. An Ezra Oesterling (Shelocta, Pa./West Shamokin) kill gave the Tomcats the 15-12 match-clinching-set win.

Oesterling posted a match-best 16 kills and hit .234 on the outside in his collegiate debut while digging nine balls. Govannucci added five kills from the right side.

The Tomcats closed the opening set on a 6-1 run to turn a 19-16 lead into a comfortable 25-17 win. Jake Dies (Cambridge Springs, Pa./Cambridge Springs) collected a pair of kills in the run, including the set-clinching kill. Will Zimmerman (Cranberry, Pa./Seneca Valley) collected four kills in the set.

Dies, the 2022 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Newcomer of the Year, logged six kills and hit .231 on the night. Zimmerman collected 12 kills and tallied six digs.

Concordia Chicago led 16-13 in set two and grew the lead to 6 (20-14) on a 4-1 spurt. Thiel got within 4 at 22-18, but the Cougars sided out their last 4 points of the set to even the match at 1.

Set three was even throughout as the Cougars held a 20-19 lead. A service error and Govannucci kill gave Thiel a 21-20 edge. Concordia Chicago knotted things at 21 before Thiel snagged 4 of the last 5 points in the set to pull ahead 2-1. Ben Lowell (Portland, Ore./Sunset) gave Thiel 3 set points at 24-21 on a solo block, and he ended the set with a kill.

Lowell notched a match-leading 15 digs, dished out a team-high 41 assists and tallied a team-leading 3.5 total blocks on the night (3 BA, 2 BS) to go with four kills. 

A Kaleb Proudfoot (Butler, Pa./Butler) kill gave Thiel a 21-20 edge in set four, but the Cougars evened things at 21. A block from Lowell and Bryce Lizanich (Coraopolis, Pa./Montour) made it 22-21, but Concordia Chicago ended the set on a 4-1 run to force the fifth set. 

Proudfoot posted 8 kills and no errors on 19 swings to hit a match-leading .421. He added a pair of block assists in the win. Lizanich had six kills, dug a career-high seven balls and had one total block (one BS, one BA). 

Defensively, Thiel outpaced Concordia Chicago in digs (64-50). David Gonzalez (El Paso, Texas/Eastwood) had 14 digs and Josh Pugh (Wexford, Pa./Pine Richland) added seven digs. 

Men's volleyball returns to action in the Wittenberg Kickoff Classic tomorrow with matches against Roanoke (11 a.m.) and Wittenberg (3 p.m.).