GREENVILLE, Pa. (Jan. 27) -- The Thiel College Men's Volleyball took down the University of Mount Union in straight sets Tuesday evening on Maenpa Court at Beeghly Gymnasium in a non-conference clash.
Prior to the contest, Thiel honored the 2025 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) championship squad with a ring ceremony.
The Tomcats improve to 4-4 on the young season with set score wins of 25-20, 25-21 and 25-19 while the Purple Raiders dip to 2-2.
Thiel gained seperation in set one as kills from
Kaleb Proudfoot (Butler, Pa./Butler) and
Tyler Hussey (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) gave the Blue and Gold a 16-12 edge. A 4-1 spurt bookended with a
Bryce Lizanich (Coraopolis, Pa./Montour) kill and ace pushed the Tomcats ahead 23-17 as they cruised to the set-one win.
Proudfoot produced a monster evening with a match-best 13 kills and no errors on 15 swings to hit .867, the second-best single-match mark in team history. Lizanich, who was named the PAC Defensive Player of the Week earlier in the day, added four kills on .500 to go with two aces, three digs and one block. Hussey pitched in four kills and a pair of digs.
Knotted at 19 in set two, a 3-1 Thiel spurt that featured an
Ezra Oesterling (Shelocta, Pa./West Shamokin) ace and a Proudfoot kill to make it 22-20. The Tomcats ended the frame with 3 unanswered points, all of which came on kills from
Will Zimmerman (Cranberry, Pa./Seneca Valley), to lead 2-0.
Oesterling, the two-time reigning PAC Offensive Player of the Week, logged nine kills and had match bests in digs (six) and aces (three). Zimmerman recorded 10 kills on .421 from the left pin with three digs and an ace.
A 3-0 set three run with kills from Zimmerman and
George Schwalm IV (Fort Collins, Colo./Poudre) ballooned into a 5-1 run as Zimmerman logged 2 more points to make it 11-7. A Schwalm IV kill gave Thiel a 20-14 advantage as a Proudfoot kill and an Oesterling ace sealed the sweep for the Tomcats.
Schwalm IV posted five kills and no errors to hit .444. The Tomcats held a 7-1 advantage in aces.
Thiel head a 27-18 advantage in digs as liberos
Josh Hovan (Baden, Pa./Ambridge) and
Josh Pugh (Wexford, Pa./Pine Richland) had four and two digs, respectively.
Eli Olszowka (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep) distributed a match-pacing 22 assists while
Ben Lowell (Portland, Ore./Sunset) had 17 helpers and a pair of digs.
The Blue and Gold held Mount Union to .250 hitting while the Tomcats sat at .420.
Thiel is back in action Saturday for a home tri-match with contests against Roanoke (1 p.m.) and No. 18 St. John Fisher (5 p.m.)
