Lakers Massive Comeback Bid Falls Shy Against Tigers

CHICAGO – Roosevelt's monumental comeback bid fell short as the Lakers fell in five sets to Olivet Nazarene on Tuesday night inside the Goodman Center in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference action.

It was Roosevelt's first match in 10 days due to a match last week being postponed for health and safety protocols, and it showed early. The Lakers (5-8, 1-3 CCAC) dropped the first two sets handily, making small comebacks over the final points of each to make it look a bit closer. After dropping the first set 25-18 and the second 25-15, Roosevelt rallied for a 25-19 win in the third set and a gutsy 27-25 victory in the fourth to force a deciding set. The momentum in the fifth swung back and forth between the two squads before the Tigers finally eked out the 15-13 win to take the match.

Roosevelt received big-time contributions from players who had yet to find starring roles this season for various reasons. Brooke Williams tied her career high with nine kills to just one error for an even .500 hitting percentage, her best since last October when she had nine kills against Trinity International. Catarina Calabrese also made her season debut for the Lakers after missing the first 12 matches due to injury, and played a critical role in sparking the comeback when she was inserted at the beginning of the third set.

Viktoria Marysheva led the way for the Lakers with 10 kills while Yuliia Shchepkina posted an efficient seven kills on 12 attacks without an error. Emily DeBlecourt struggled with her hitting, but served up three aces, one fewer than Zoe Hutchinson, who had four aces to go along with her team-high 22 assists and nine digs on the night. Krista Norton, the CCAC Defensive Player of the Week the last time the Lakers played, continued her strong net-front presence with a hand in four of Roosevelt's five blocks on the night.

Olivet Nazarene gained momentum slowly but surely in the opening set and extended the lead out to 19-9 with four points out of a Roosevelt timeout. The Lakers battled back with some help from the Tigers and close the deficit to 19-14 before Olivet Nazarene put together another 5-0 run. Roosevelt fell into an early hole in the second set and never recovered as Olivet Nazarene scored 11 of the first 14 points. The Lakers would bring it back to within six, but the deficit stretched out to 11 before consecutive kills and a Tigers error forced a timeout from Olivet Nazarene.

The energy from the first two sets was a stark contrast to what was on display in the final three sets as the Lakers and Tigers battled nearly point for point. Marysheva had two kills then Hutchinson served up her second ace of the match to take control of the third set 13-6. The Tigers made it interesting at 18-16, but the Lakers responded with back-to-back aces from Shchepkina and a kill from Marysheva to close out the set.

The service line proved to be the difference for the Lakers in the fourth set with five aces in the set, including three at critical points. Olivet Nazarene raced out to a 6-2 lead in the fourth, but when DeBlecourt stepped to the line, she served consecutive aces then Summer McGee smashed an ace of her own on the next rotation to tie the set at 7. Olivia Adams forced a pair of attack errors from the Tigers on her serves to overcome a 19-17 deficit then Hutchinson delivered two more aces to give Roosevelt a 20-19 lead.

Williams had four of her kills in the topsy-turvy fifth set as neither team was willing to secure much momentum. The teams were tied at every point possible through the first 14 points then the Lakers responded with three straight points after falling behind 9-7. Williams delivered the kill that made it 9-9 then again found the open floor for 12-11 and 13-12. After being knotted at 13, the Tigers found the final two swings to claim the match.

The wait until the next match is almost equally long for the Lakers, who now have a week off before facing Trinity Christian on the road next Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Palos Heights.