Rochester, N.Y. - Despite taking an early two sets to none lead on Saturday, the St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Volleyball team saw their hopes for a third straight East Coast Conference Regular Season title go up in smoke, as Roberts Wesleyan University made an improbable comeback to take the match 3-2 in five sets at the Voller Athletic Center in Western New York.

STAC falls to 11-13 overall and 4-2 in ECC play, while Roberts Wesleyan wins their sixth straight match to run their record to 18-10 and 5-1.

The Spartans and Redhawks went the distance, as the sides picked up two set victories apiece, with the maroon and gold taking sets one and two and the hosts from Rochester rebounding with victories in sets three and four. A match-deciding fifth set ensued between teams, but Roberts Wesleyan had all of the momentum going their way to ultimately take the contest.

Set Results vs. Roberts Wesleyan

Set 1: STAC 25/RWU 20

Set 2: STAC 25/RWU 21

Set 3: RWU 25/STAC 22

Set 4: RWU 25/STAC 17

Set 5: RWU 15/STAC 10

How it Happened

• As a team, Roberts Wesleyan recorded 52 kills compared to St. Thomas Aquinas' 47. The Redhawks also had 11.5 blocks and 47 assists, while the Spartans tallied 8.5 blocks and 45 assists.
• Roberts Wesleyan outhit STAC by a .236 to .217 margin for the match.
• Jakob Schwarz paced the Spartans offense with a team-high 18 kills. He also registered five digs and a block assist.
• Marcus Franck tallied a team-high 28 serve assists (5.6 assists/set). Franck also 10 digs for the maroon and gold.
• Kyran Versteegen picked up 14 kills, a serve assist, five digs and four block assists on Saturday.
• Luis Grath racked up five kills and a dig against the Redhawks.
• Alan Santiago contributed four kills and two block assists to the match.
• David Weiss accumulated three kills, a service ace, two digs and a team-high eight block assists.
• Rayden Powell put together a two kill, one serve assist, three dig and one block assist effort for the Spartans.
• Joaquin La Jara recorded 11 serve assists, a service ace, three digs and a block assist over five sets.
• Ivaylo Todorov closed out his regular season with five serve assists and seven digs.

Up Next

As a result of today's loss to Roberts Wesleyan, STAC will be the #2 seed in the upcoming East Coast Conference Men's Volleyball Tournament, which takes place on April 24 and 25, and be hosted by the top seeded Redhawks at the Voller Athletic Center in Rochester.