GREENVILLE, Pa. (March 25) -- The Thiel College Men's Volleyball team recorded a 3-1 win over Chatham University Wednesday evening on Senior Night from Manepa Court at Beeghly Gymnasium in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) showdown.

The Tomcats rise to 18-8 (8-1) with set score wins of 25-15, 25-18, 17-25 and 25-23. Thiel is now 5-0 all time against the Cougars (11-8, 5-4) as the victory marks Thiel's fourth-straight win in a Senior-Night contest.

The Blue and Gold served nine aces, setting a new single-season team record of 168 with at least four matches remaining on the season. With seven aces, Ezra Oesterling (Shelocta, Pa./West Shamokin) broke his 2025 single-season aces record of 46 as he ran his season total to 49.

Set four featured 14 ties and five lead changes. A 3-1 Thiel run with with a George Schwalm IV (Fort Collins, Colo./Poudre) block and kill along with a Bryce Lizanich (Coraopolis, Pa./Montour) kill forced a Chatham timeout a 21-22. Thiel tallied the final 4 points of the match with a pair of kills each from Oesterling and Will Zimmerman (Cranberry, Pa./Seneca Valley) to clinch the match.

Schwalm IV smacked nine kills on .389 to go with two blocks and digs each. Lizanich added seven kills on .462 with a match-high-tying four blocks (1 BS, 3 BA). Zimmerman logged five kills, seven digs, three blocks (1 BS, 2 BA) and two aces.

Thiel cruised in set one, hitting .316 and limiting Chatham to -.056. Oesterling served four aces in the opening frame as Thiel led by as many as 10.  A Kaleb Proudfoot (Butler, Pa./Butler) kill along with a Cougars error gave Thiel the opening frame.

Oesterling led Thiel with 13 kills to go with a match-pacing seven aces and seven digs. The sophomore recording more than double the amount of aces Chatham had as a team (three). 

Proudfoot continued his dominant season with 12 kills on .647 to go with a pair of blocks.

The Cats hit a scorching .577 in set two. After five straight sideouts, back-to-back Thiel points on a Proudfoot kill and Proudfoot / Tyler Hussey (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) combo block pushed the Tomcats ahead 20-14. Kills from Hussey and Lizanich gave Thiel a 2-0 lead.

Hussey added six kills and two blocks and digs each in the triumph.

Chatham held a narrow 46-45 edge in digs as Josh Hovan (Baden, Pa./Ambridge) paced Thiel with nine. Ben Lowell (Portland, Ore./Sunset) added seven and a team-most 21 assists. Eli Olszowka (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep) dug five balls and dished out 20 helpers while Josh Pugh (Wexford, Pa./Pine Richland) had three digs.

The senior class of Brandon Gala (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair), Hovan, Hussey, Proudfoot, Pugh and Zimmerman were honored in a pre-match ceremony.

Thiel is back in action Saturday for a 1 p.m. road clash at PAC foe Hiram. Read Full Article