Lakers Rally Past Titans In Five-Set CCAC Clash

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – In what has become a habit for Roosevelt, the Lakers went the distance against Indiana South Bend before emerging with a five-set win over the Titans in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference match Saturday in South Bend, Ind.

It is the 10^th time this year the Lakers (8-12, 4-6 CCAC) have played all five sets and the victory evened their record at 5-5 in those matches. What made Saturday's 18-25, 18-25, 25-23, 25-20, 18-16 triumph unique, however, is that it is the first time in more than four years the Lakers came back to win after dropping the first two sets. The last time it happened was Oct. 8, 2019 when the Titans won the first two sets at the Goodman Center before the Lakers rallied for a victory.

Roosevelt got off to a less than ideal start to the match when Indiana South Bend won the first nine points, which included six miscues from the Lakers. They responded to eat into the deficit, but they could never get closer than five points. The second set was a lot more even until the Titans won eight of the final nine points to snatch away the set from Roosevelt.

The offense began to heat up in the third set after barely hitting a positive percentage in the first two sets combined. The Lakers hit better than .300 in the third set with Emily DeBlecourt and Viktoria Marysheva showing off their attacking prowess in a big way. The two both led the team with 17 kills total in the match, and DeBlecourt had six in the third set while Marysheva had five. Joana Rafols also played a crucial role with five of her eight kills coming in the third set.

An early 4-0 run with DeBlecourt at the service line gave Roosevelt the early lead it would never relinquish in the fourth set. The key to the set, though, was a late 6-0 run that was kickstarted by an Indiana South Bend service error that gave Roosevelt the breathing room to finish off the Titans and force a deciding set.

The fifth set was full of pressure-filled moments and Yuliia Shchepkina was ready for them as her four kills in the set came at critical junctures. Facing a match point against at 14-15, the freshman from Naperville smashed down a kill in front of the Titans. Then she did it again at 15-16, setting the stage for Isa Grana to give the Lakers match point with a solo block at 16-16.

Shchepkina finished with 12 kills and three blocks as part of a monstrous effort at the net that led to 11 total blocks for the Lakers. DeBlecourt added four blocks of her own, including a pair of solo stuffs, and also added 10 digs for a double-double. Grana had two solo blocks and a team-best 38 assists in the victory while Olivia Adams led the way with 15 digs for Roosevelt. Marysheva also record a double-double with 10 digs for the Lakers and Rafols finished with 13 digs.

The Lakers begin the final push in the regular season Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Elgin against Judson, the leaders of the CCAC with an unblemished conference mark.