SALINA, Kan. – The Ottawa University men's volleyball team opened Heart of America Athletic Conference play with a 3-0; 25-20, 25-20, 25-22; victory over Kansas Wesleyan University in Mabee Arena on Tuesday evening. It was OU's first match in the Heart. The Braves had previously been a member of the GPAC before joining the Heart in July.

How it Happened

• Ottawa trailed Kansas Wesleyan 9-5 at the start of set one. The Braves rallied and after a Coyote attacking error, Ottawa had an 18-15 lead. OU continued to hold its lead. A kill by Petar Lazic increased the OU lead to 21-16. KWU did not go away and cut Ottawa's lead to 23-20. The Braves answered by scoring the next two points of the set to take the victory. A Leo Betin kill, 24-20, and a KWU attacking error, 25-20.
• KWU took a 4-1 lead to open set two. Ottawa rebounded from its slow start and after a kill from Lazic, OU had an 8-7 lead. The Braves' lead didn't last long. KWU went on a 4-1 run to take the lead 11-9. Ottawa responded with a run of its own, 7-3, and the Braves took a 16-14 lead on a Macort Pickup kill. The Coyotes would again retake the lead, 18-17, leading to a Brave timeout. OU responded by reeling off the next three points, retaking the lead 20-18, on a Lazic kill. KWU cut OU's lead to 21-20 but that is all the closer the Coyotes would get. Ottawa scored the next four points, taking the set on a Marko Zolnjan kill, 25-20.
• The Braves led 6-4 to start set three. Kills by Zolnjan and Betin gave OU a 10-6 lead. Kansas Wesleyan rallied and tied the set at 15 all. Ottawa retook the lead on kill by Zolnjan, 17-15. KWU did not go away and tied the set, 21-21, leading to an OU timeout. The Braves came out of the timeout, scoring the next three points to retake the lead 24-21. The Coyotes scored the next point, 24-22. Ottawa ended the contest on a Pickup kill, taking the 25-22 victory.

Inside the Box Score

• Ottawa finished the match with 43 kills, a .210 attacking percentage, 39 assists, three service aces, 44 digs, and seven team blocks.
• The Braves had two players with double digit kills. Leo Betin and Petar Lazic finished with 10 kills apiece.
• Marton Zarka had 14 assists and Quentin Le Dortz finished with 13 assists.
• Kalena Launiu had two service aces
• Nazmi Bayoglu finished the match with 11 digs.
• Akeil Williams and Betin led the Braves with four blocks apiece.

Who is Next
Ottawa (5-2, 1-0) is back on the court on Friday, Feb. 14 against UHSP in St. Louis, Mo. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.