CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The No. 12 seed University of California, Merced men's volleyball team fell 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-13) to fourth-seeded Missouri Baptist University in the first match of the NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship Pool D on Tuesday afternoon at Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
The Bobcats (10-13), who are in the national tournament for the first time in program history, will play their final match of pool play on Wednesday afternoon against No. 5 St. Thomas.
Jozef Lingenfelter led the Bobcats with eight kills, five digs, and one block.
Jared Guglielmana finished with seven kills and two digs, while Kaleb Cole had four kills and two solo blocks.
Toby Miller dished out 18 assists. He added four digs, two blocks, one solo, one kill, and one service ace.
Other notables include seven digs from Gannon Connors, six assists and a service ace from Sebas Moreno, and a solo block from Daniel Del Grande. Del Grande's block moved him ahead of Chris Morikawa for sole possession of ninth all-time with 95 career blocks.
For Missouri Baptist, Heart of America Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year Michael Olson held match-high with 15 kills on a .636 hitting percentage.
Lingenfelter started strong for the Bobcats and he scored four of the Bobcats first five points via the kill as set one was tied 5-5. The set was also tied 11-11 shortly after, however MBU broke the tie and surged ahead with a 5-0 run leaving the Bobcats with an uphill battle. UC Merced trailed 24-17 at MBU set point before scoring four straight and forcing MBU into a timeout. The Spartans delivered a kill out of the timeout to end the set and go up 1-0 in the match.
UC Merced was unable to overcome MBU's .467 hitting percentage in the second set. The Bobcats were within a point at 8-7, but the fourth seed created separation with a 9-2 run that cost the Bobcats both of its timeouts. The Bobcats, who trailed 19-10 after the run, came within five points on two occasions before falling 25-18.
Cole notched an early solo block followed by a Miller ace in the third set that tied the frame at 4-4, though any potential momentum the Bobcats were looking to garner was quickly put to rest by MBU. The Spartans countered with seven consecutive points and eventually built a double-digit lead as early as 18-8 on their way to putting the finishing touches on the sweep. MBU hit .300 in the final frame compared to the Bobcats -.200.
Tuesday marked the Bobcats first match against Missouri Baptist since the inaugural season in 2014.
Up next, UC Merced will need a sweep against No. 5 seed St. Thomas to have any chance at winning Pool D and advancing to the NAIA Semifinals. First serve is scheduled for 2:00pm PST.
