Atherton, CA-Having returned from their road trip in Ohio, Menlo Men's Volleyball got right back on the court with a matchup against UC Merced. This was the second time the Oaks would face the Bobcats on the year. At Merced Menlo was able to pull off the reverse sweep coming back from a two set deficit to eventually win in the fifth, decisive set of the match. Thankfully, things would go smoother for the Oaks as they were able to secure a win in four sets of play, including holding the Bobcats to under 20 points in two of said sets.

Lots of Offense From Lots of Players

In terms of generating points the trio of Julius Stiemer, Konrad Stoklosinski and Wojciech Nowak once again paced the team in terms of offensive production. Stoklosinski paced all players with 16 kills on his usually highly efficient production. For the game, the senior would post a .433 hitting percentage. Stiemer was right on Stoklosinksi's tail with 15 kills while also adding in two service aces for good measure. Lastly, Nowak struggled a bit in terms of efficiency with a hitting percentage under .200. But, even still the freshman out of Poland managed 13 kills and two assists as he continues to post strong numbers in his first year with the Oaks.

Defense Stands Tall

It wouldn't just be on the offensive side of the ball that Menlo handled their business. As a team the Bobcats were only able to muster a .222 hitting percentage compared to the Oaks .339. Individually, freshman Alijah Bermudez, William Lawler and Stiemer all posted double digit digs. The trio would combine for 34 digs as Lawler and Stiemer's 12 digs each would tie for the game high. Secondly, when it came to meeting the Bobcats at the net, Menlo did not shy away from looking to make big blocks all game long. Middle blockers Dylan Cohan and Gabriel Knittel combined for five block assists while Lawler chipped in four assists, usually alongside Cohan or Knittel.  

Up Next…

Menlo is right back on the court tomorrow for day two of the Oak Invitational Tournament. Their next opponent will be the Simpson University Redhawks. Again, the Oaks had previously beaten Simpson at home in a convincing 3-0 sweep. The team will look to produce a similar result and once again defend their homecourt!

Menlo College is currently a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). To learn more about Menlo Athletics visit www.menloathletics.com or follow Menlo Athletics on Instagram (@menloathletics), X (@MenloAthletics) or Facebook (Menlo College Athletic)