Lakers Tripped Up By No. 15 Mount Mercy

CHICAGO – Roosevelt improved in every set, yet still fell short in three sets against No. 15 Mount Mercy at the Goodman Center on Thursday night.

The Lakers (1-1) were led by Mark Zmojdzin's nine kills and Andrea DiPaola's six kills in a match that felt closer than the 25-15, 25-17, 25-18 scoreline would indicate. Roosevelt started off slowly in the first two sets, but put some pressure on the Mustangs in the middle of the set to keep it close.

In the third set, the Lakers took the opening point and never let the Mustangs drift too far away. Mount Mercy's largest lead in the final set was at 23-13, but Roosevelt responded with five straight points, including Zmojdzin serving up Roosevelt's only ace of the match. The Lakers also proved their mettle by winning the point after five of the six timeouts taken in the match, derailing Mount Mercy's momentum in the process.

Roosevelt will return to action Saturday in Dubuque, Iowa at a tri-match hosted by Clarke. The Lakers will face conference foe Viterbo at 1 p.m. in a non-league game then face the hosts at 5 p.m.