Eagles Outlast Georgetown in Five-Set Thriller Behind Gutierrez, Aniolczyk

Waleska, Ga. - Reinhardt (GA) outlasted Georgetown in a five-set battle on Tuesday afternoon in Waleska, earning a 3-2 victory by scores of 22-25, 25-20, 25-19, 23-25 and 15-13. The Eagles rode a high-powered attack from Gabriel Gutierrez and Jakub Aniolczyk, combined with a slight edge in defense and blocking, to finish off the tight nonconference matchup.

After dropping the opening set 25-22, Reinhardt responded with a composed performance in the second. Aniolczyk sparked the turnaround with a series of clean swings, while Gabriel Gutierrez's serving pressure, including a key ace, helped the Eagles create separation in a 25-20 win that evened the match at one set apiece. Reinhardt hit .234 as a team on the night with 65 kills, steadily finding rhythm after the early deficit.

The Eagles seized control in the third set, leaning heavily on Gutierrez and Aniolczyk to generate offense and halt Georgetown runs. Gutierrez's terminal swings on the pin and timely stops in the back row, paired with Aniolczyk's efficiency, pushed Reinhardt to a 25-19 decision and a 2-1 lead in the match. Georgetown, which finished with 51 kills and a .203 hitting percentage, struggled to slow Reinhardt's balanced attack during that stretch.

Georgetown refused to go away, answering in a closely contested fourth set. The Tigers' rally was fueled by multiple kills from Kristjan Unt and a late strike from Alessandro Bux, as they edged the Eagles 25-23 to force a decisive fifth. At the net, Georgetown relied on its blocking presence, finishing with 1 solo and 26 block assists, as Michal Bak and Adam Szewinski helped turn momentum with key stuff blocks and efficient attacking.

In the race to 15, Reinhardt held a narrow advantage throughout the deciding set. Gutierrez delivered clutch kills down the stretch, while Aniolczyk provided vital support to keep Georgetown from mounting a final surge. The Eagles closed out the match 15-13, aided by a 50-39 edge in digs and 18 total team blocks (2 solo, 16 assists) that limited clean Georgetown swings in the final points.

Individually, Gutierrez turned in a standout performance with 21 kills on 45 swings, hitting .333 to go with 10 digs, 2 aces and 1 solo block for a match-high 24 points. Aniolczyk added 19 kills on a .353 clip, 4 block assists and 2 digs for 21 points as the duo combined for 40 of Reinhardt's 65 kills. For Georgetown, Unt paced the attack with 14 kills and 4 block assists, Bak chipped in 12 kills and 5 block assists, and Szewinski was highly efficient with 10 kills on .562 hitting and 6 block assists.

Defensively, the match carried added significance as Alex Sanchez finished with 18 digs, moving to within six of the NAIA all-time career digs record. With Sanchez anchoring the back row and Gutierrez and Aniolczyk driving the offense, the Eagles used a blend of firepower and resilience to secure the five-set victory and momentum heading into their next stretch of matches. Up next, RU will be playing Bluefield College at TMU this upcoming Friday, Feb. 13th, at 1pm.