Yellowjackets Fall to Clarke in Four Sets
LAMONI, Iowa — The Graceland University men's volleyball team fell to Clarke (Iowa), 3-1 (26-24, 24-26, 25-16, 25-23), Saturday evening at the Morden Center . With the result, Graceland moves to 0-12 overall and 0-3 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play, while Clarke improves to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in conference .
Graceland pushed Clarke in two tightly contested sets, including a second-set win to even the match at 1-1, but Clarke posted a .312 attack percentage in the third set to regain control .
Senior Kaden Joseph led the Yellowjackets offensively with 11 kills on 34 swings, finishing with a .118 hitting percentage . Joseph added six digs in four sets.
Junior Jackson House matched Joseph with 11 kills, totaling 37 total attacks and 10 digs for a double-digit effort on both sides of the ball . House accounted for 12.0 points in the match.
Middle blocker Kalanikapu Aona provided efficiency at the net, recording four kills on 10 attempts with no errors for a .400 hitting percentage . Aona also contributed two block assists.
Setter Nairod Fonseca directed the offense with 25 assists and added seven digs in four sets . Graceland totaled 30 assists as a team.
At the net, the Yellowjackets posted 12 total blocks (2 solo, 12 block assists), with Andrew Cziep contributing three block assists and Aona adding two . Defensively, Graceland recorded 50 digs, led by House's 10 and Benjamin Gorton-Hülgerth's 15 .
Graceland dropped the opening set 26-24 after surrendering a late service ace. The Yellowjackets responded in the second set, closing on a 5-2 run to secure a 26-24 win and level the match. Clarke gained separation in the third set with a .312 team hitting percentage, while Graceland hit .077 in the frame . The fourth set remained within two points late before Clarke closed out the match, 25-23.
Clarke finished the match hitting .193 with 55 kills, compared to Graceland's 35 kills and .102 attack percentage .
Graceland returns to action Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. CST against Dordt (Iowa) at the Dordt Recreation Center in Sioux Center, Iowa.
For more information on Graceland men's volleyball and all of Graceland athletics, visit GUjackets.com.