The Eagles Compete in Warner MVB Pod

Lake Wales, FL - Reinhardt University men's volleyball turned in a strong weekend at the Warner Pod in central Florida, sweeping Warner and Webber International while dropping a tightly contested sweep to St. Thomas. The Eagles opened the trip with a dominant 3-0 win over Warner (25-12, 25-16, 26-12) and closed with another straight-sets victory over Webber International (25-20, 25-21, 25-17). Sandwiched between those performances was a competitive 3-0 loss to St. Thomas (23-25, 18-25, 19-25) in Lake Wales, Fla.

In the opener against Warner, Reinhardt was efficient on both pins and at the service line, rolling to a .435 attack percentage with 34 kills while limiting Warner to 22 kills and a .014 clip. The Eagles set the tone early, racing out to a 3-0 lead behind a service ace from Andrea Forcina and later stretching the margin to 9-3 when Jakub Aniolczyk dialed up another ace. Decklan Fongbemi and Gabriel Gutierrez fueled a sustained first-set run with back-to-back kills, and Denny Martinez ended the frame at 25-12 with a terminal swing on the right side. Reinhardt never trailed in the second set, using another Gutierrez kill and ace to create separation before Martinez again supplied the closing kill in a 25-16 decision. The Eagles finished the sweep 26-12 in the third when Aniolczyk capped his serving night with a match-ending ace.

Statistically, Reinhardt owned the opening match. The Eagles' seven service aces and only seven attack errors contrasted with Warner's 21 attack errors and 14 service miscues, helping limit Warner to just 30 total points across three sets. Aniolczyk and Gutierrez shared top billing, each finishing with 12.0 points. Aniolczyk posted eight kills, four aces and two digs, while Gutierrez added 10 kills, four digs and a block. Forcina nearly reached double digits with 8 kills and an ace for 9.0 points, giving Reinhardt three primary options in a balanced attack. Defensively, the Eagles' floor coverage produced 23 digs to go with three team blocks, routinely turning Warner's swings into transition opportunities.

Game 2 of the weekend, played Friday against St. Thomas in Lake Wales, had a different rhythm but again featured long, competitive rallies. Reinhardt matched St. Thomas point for point in the opening set and held late momentum after a kill from Decklan Fongbemi at 22 in a 22-14 scoring sequence, but the Bobcats closed on a timely run to edge the Eagles 25-23. St. Thomas' block and serve game began to tilt the match in the second, where the hosts again created a mid-set cushion and kept Reinhardt from stringing together sideouts in a 25-18 frame. The Eagles continued to battle in the third behind swings from Aniolczyk and Gutierrez, but St. Thomas rode another late surge and multiple kills from standout attacker Michael Marsans to close out the match 25-19.

Despite the sweep, the Eagles' offensive numbers showed they were in every set. Reinhardt finished with 33 kills, just two fewer than St. Thomas, but the Eagles' .085 attack percentage reflected 25 attack errors against a Bobcats front line that totaled 10 blocks. Gutierrez turned in one of the top individual efforts of the doubleheader with 9 kills and a match-high 13 digs, while Aniolczyk added 8 kills and 9.0 points. On the other side of the net, Marsans powered St. Thomas with 11 kills and 15.0 points, and Kaelen Ingram added an 11-kill, 10-dig double-double. Even in defeat, Reinhardt's backcourt held up well, recording 30 digs to St. Thomas' 29 and extending rallies throughout the match.

Reinhardt closed the AAC swing on a high note Saturday, sweeping Webber International behind one of its most balanced offensive outings of the trip. The Eagles controlled the opening set 25-20 after Gutierrez put down the first point of the match from setter Hayden Lichty and Quintin Fongbemi later delivered the set-clinching kill. In the second, Gutierrez again sparked an early run with a service ace as Reinhardt built a multi-point cushion and held off Webber's late push for a 25-21 win, with Rigdon Hunter providing key swings through the middle stages. The Eagles then pulled away in the third, getting kills and a service ace from Aniolczyk to close out a 25-17 set and a second sweep of the weekend.

The Eagles finished with 40 kills, seven aces and a .239 attack percentage against Webber while limiting the Warriors to 19 kills and a .029 mark with no blocks. Gutierrez again led the way with 8 kills, 2 aces and 4 digs for 10.5 points, and Hunter matched him with 8 kills and an ace for 9.0 points. Aniolczyk chipped in 5 kills and 2 aces, and Fongbemi added 8 kills and a block for 8.5 points as Reinhardt's depth at the net wore down Webber's defense. The Eagles also edged Webber 30-27 in digs and forced 17 attack errors with consistent serving pressure, sealing a 2-1 showing across three AAC opponents in Florida.

Across the tri-match weekend, Reinhardt showcased both its ceiling and areas for growth, hitting over .400 in one sweep, nearly .240 in another and grinding through a low-efficiency outing against an elite St. Thomas block. With Gutierrez and Aniolczyk anchoring the attack and multiple hitters contributing in every match, the Eagles leave Florida with valuable conference experience and momentum heading into the heart of the AAC schedule.