ADRIAN, Mich. - After a week-and-a-half out of competition, the Adrian men's volleyball team is back on the hardwood. The Bulldogs (4-13, 1-2 MCVL) will host back-to-back contests this week, beginning with Aquinas College on Wednesday before finishing with conference-foe Trine University on Thursday.
The 'Dogs and the Saints will be meeting for the second time this season when the two programs get together in Adrian. Back on January 15 in Grand Rapids, Aquinas turned in a three-set sweep of the black and gold to close out the Michigan Men's Volleyball Invitational. Since then, the Saints are 7-6, including a four-set victory over previously-unbeaten No. 5 (NAIA) Indiana Tech on Saturday.
The duo of Julian Armendano and Joshua Boothroyd pace Aquinas' offense with 294 and 189 kills, respectively. Their teammate Matthew Richmond has been their primary feeder with 516 assists.
Defensively, Kelsey Yogi boasts a team-high 172 digs, followed by Armendano's 102 digs and 19 total blocks.
As a team, the Saints are narrowly out-attacking their opponents 0.264 to 0.222.
Then, on Thursday, Adrian resumes its 2022 conference schedule against the Thunder.
Trine (6-9) has yet to register a result in conference-play, but is coming off of a four-set win at Wittenberg in non-league action.
Hunter Haas and Ted Hofmeister lead the Thunder into this week's match-up as the MCVL's most recent Defensive and Offensive Players of the Week.
The pair are ranked second and first, respectively on the team in total digs, while the latter of the two is also the squad's top killer with 168.
Hofmeister's attack numbers, while notable, are still well behind Adrian's
Chase Heuer's marks of 228 kills and a 3.68 kills per set average.
Those 228 kills are the most of any offensive player in the conference, while his average currently ranks third.
Another Bulldog leading the league is
Brandon Ravelo. The senior's 39 total service aces are 20 more than the next closest serve, and his 584 assists lead the MCVL by 98.
Coming into this week, Adrian is looking to snap a two-game skid against the Thunder, who are looking to draw the all-time series even after the 'Dogs got the better of them in their first three meetings.
Live stats and video will be available for both of this week's contests through adrianbulldogs.com and Adrian College TV.
