FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Courtesy of Lancaster Bible Athletics Communications

The Lancaster Bible College men's volleyball team made history on Friday night, as the Chargers earned a come-from-behind, 3-2 victory over 14th-ranked Rivier, and became the first-ever Lancaster Bible team to win an NCAA Division III National Tournament contest. The Chargers won, 27-25, 22-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-12, and are now 24-4 overall this season. The Raiders ended their season with a 26-7 record, as they suffered their first loss since February 24.

Lancaster Bible advances to the NCAA Division III Quarterfinals on Saturday night, and the Chargers will now face top-ranked Springfield. The Pride are 28-2 this season, and are the defending NCAA Division III National Champions.

1^st Set Highlights:
-The Chargers built an early 5-2 lead, as junior Daniel Kreider posted two early kills, but Rivier quickly tied the match with three straight points, two of which came off Lancaster Bible hitting errors
-With the match tied 7-7, Lancaster Bible rattled off four straight points, as junior Nate Miller had two kills, while sophomore Kole Horst added another
-Lancaster Bible maintained a small lead throughout the set, as Miller crushed kill after kill, and gave the Chargers a 21-18 lead after an ace
-Rivier wouldn't go quietly in the opening set however, as the Raiders tied the set at 22-22, and took a 23-22 lead after a block assist from Dashaun Graham and Garrett Bucklin
-Lancaster Bible got a point back on a service error, and then took a 24-23 lead on a hitting error by the Raiders
-The Chargers couldn't close out the set however, and the match eventually went to 25-25
-With the score knotted, Miller hammered two more kills, and gave the set to the Chargers, 27-25
 
2^nd Set Highlights:
-Rivier took an early 9-4 lead in the first set, and would eventually lead 17-11, as the Chargers called timeout to try and regroup
-Lancaster Bible would regroup, and began chipping away at the Raiders lead, as Horst and Miller helped bring the Chargers back
-Down 20-15, Lancaster Bible won four straight points, all coming on Miller kills, to climb back to within one, 20-19
-The Raiders won three of the next four points however, and though the Chargers cut their deficit to 24-22, Rivier took the set, 25-22 on a Chargers service error
 
3^rd Set Highlights:
-The teams matched point-for-point to begin the third set, and were eventually tied at 14-14 after an attack error from Rivier
-The Raiders won four straight points after that however, and grabbed an 18-14 lead on a kill from Garrett Bucklin
-Lancaster Bible fought back just like it had in the second set and trailed just 21-20 after winning five of six points
-Rivier called timeout and earned back-to-back points to make it 23-20, and eventually won the set, 25-21
 
4^th Set Highlights:
-The teams went back-and-forth again to begin the fourth set, and again, the match was tied 14-14 midway through the set
-Neither team could get much separation, though the Chargers took a 21-19 lead on an error by the Raiders
-Rivier tied the match at 21-21 two points later, but Lancaster Bible won three of the next four points to earn a 24-22 advantage
-After Rivier cut the Chargers' lead to one, Lancaster Bible won the set on a Raiders service error
 
5^th Set Highlights:
-Lancaster Bible earned three of the first four points of the deciding set, as senior Sky Woelkers had two blocks in the first four points
-The Chargers would eventually lead, 7-4 after a service error by Rivier, and led 8-5 as the teams switched ends
-Leading 7-5, Lancaster Bible rattled off four of the next six points, as a solo block from senior Kasey Gentry capped the run, and gave the Chargers an 11-7 lead
-Lancaster Bible led 13-8, but Rivier won three straight points, as the Chargers called timeout
-A service error gave Lancaster Bible match point, and after Rivier fought off one, the Chargers won the match on Horst's 15^th kill of the night.
 
By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible finished with 72 kills and 28 errors on 157 attempts for a 28.0 hitting percentage, while Rivier had 51 kills and 20 errors on 136 attempts for a 22.8 hitting percentage…The Chargers had 54 digs, while the Raiders had 45…Miller finished 41 kills, five digs, three blocks and two aces…Horst had 15 kills, 11 digs and an ace…Sophomore Kaleb Ansell had a career-best 63 assists, while also chipping in with nine digs and a block..Kreider finished with nine kills and a block, while Gentry had two kills, 11 digs and two blocks…Junior Kurt Maysilles had a team-best 13 digs…Grant Andler had a team-high 15 kills for Rivier.
 
Information Hodge Podge: Miller's 41 kills are not only a career-high, but set an NCAA Division III record for kills in an NCAA Division II Tournament match…Ansell's 63 assists are the second-most in an NCAA Division III Tournament match…The 72 team kills are a season-high for the Chargers, and tie the all-time program record…Lancaster Bible posted 72 kills on Feb. 20, 2009 at D'Youville as well…Miller's 41 kills are a new program-record for a single match, and this marks the second time he has broken that record, as he posted 35 earlier this season in a 3-2 win over Southern Virginia.
 
Up Next: Lancaster Bible will take on the top ranked team in NCAA Division III, as the Chargers face Springfield on Saturday night at 6 p.m. … The winner will head the NCAA Division III Semifinals next weekend in Kenosha, Wisconsin.