Lakers Win Second Match At Pilot Invite

MISHAWAKA, Ind. – Roosevelt picked up its second victory of the season Saturday at the Pilot Invite hosted by Bethel (Ind.) in Mishawaka, Ind.

The Lakers (2-5) had to survive a marathon first set against Culver-Stockton, but after claiming the opener 36-34, they rode the momentum to a sweep. Three players finished in double figures for kills, led by Andrea DiPaola's 15. The junior hit .400 in the match with seven kills in that first set. Mark Zmojdzin added 14 kills and two aces while Lachlan Diamond smacked down an efficient eight kills on 11 swings.

The back-and-forth first set was tied 12 times before the teams were deadlocked at 25. The Wildcats had the first three chances at claiming the set, but they were neutralized by a service error and two Zmojdzin kills. Zmojdzin smashed consecutive kills while Roosevelt trailed 34-33 to serve up the Lakers' sixth chance to claim the set, and this time it was successful.

Roosevelt put together a 6-1 run to break open the second set with Diego Esquivel registering three of his 11 kills during that stretch. The Lakers never trailed in the third set as they opened up an early lead and coasted to the sweep with DiPaola punctuating the match with a kill.

It was a tougher go of things for the Lakers in their other two matches in Indiana. Roosevelt opened the tournament Friday with a loss to Lawrence Tech in three sets despite 10 kills from DiPaola. Esquivel added eight kills as well in the defeat while Diamond registered four blocks. UPDATE: On March 27, it was announced that Lawrence Tech fielded an ineligible player, and the Lakers were awarded the victory by forfeit.

Then after beating Culver-Stockton on Saturday, the Lakers fell in a tight four-set match to the host Pilots. After the teams traded 25-23 sets, the Pilots claimed both of the final sets 27-25 despite the Lakers having several opportunities to capture both sets. Roosevelt fought back from trailing 19-14 in the fourth set to take a 23-22 lead then fended off a pair of match points before Bethel could end the match.

Zmojdzin had a team-best 14 kills against Bethel while DiPaola added 12 and Esquivel had nine. Michele Bascape capped off a terrific Saturday with 32 assists against the Pilots after dishing out 40 helpers in the win over the Wildcats. Terrance Young Jr. also made his presence felt on defense with four blocks against Culver-Stockton and two more against Bethel.

The Lakers will be on the road again next weekend for a trio of games in St. Louis at the Arch City Invite. Roosevelt will face Maryville on Friday before squaring off against Missouri S&T and Cumberland on Saturday.