Eagles dominate Webber International in straight-sets road sweep

Reinhardt University men's volleyball put together a complete performance Thursday afternoon, sweeping Webber International (Fla.) 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-19) at the Upper Gym in Waleska, Ga.

The Eagles controlled the match from start to finish behind a balanced attack that produced 38 kills, 5 aces and 7 total blocks, while limiting Webber to just 17 kills. Reinhardt's offense was steady across all three sets, finishing with 16 kills in the opener, seven in the second and 15 more in the third, consistently building leads and capitalizing on Warrior errors.

Reinhardt set the tone early in the first set, racing out to a 5-0 lead capped by a service ace from Andrea Forcina. From there, outside hitter Jakub Aniolczyk took over, delivering multiple kills during a dominant mid-set stretch that pushed the margin to 19-9 and forced Webber into scramble mode. The Eagles kept the pressure on from the service line and at the net, and a Webber service error closed out the frame 25-15 in favor of Reinhardt.

The second set was more competitive, but the Eagles again created separation in the middle stages. A service ace from Gabriel Gutierrez helped Reinhardt build a 15-12 cushion, and the front line tightened from there. Aniolczyk and middle blocker Quintin Fongbemi combined for key kills and blocks late in the set, stretching the lead to 23-17. Another Webber service error — this time by Gavin Patterson — handed Reinhardt the final point and a 25-19 win to go up 2-0 in the match.

Reinhardt closed out the sweep with another efficient showing in the third set. With the score tight early, opposite hitter Juan Miguel Niño Bonilla sparked a late push, recording multiple kills during a crucial run that moved the Eagles in front 22-16. Decklan Fongbemi then delivered back-to-back kills to make it 24-18, and a final service error from Patterson ended the set 25-19 and sealed the 3-0 road victory.

Aniolczyk paced the Eagles' attack with 10 kills on 11 swings, hitting .818 and finishing with 10.5 points to lead all scorers. Setter Michele Fassetta directed the offense with 16 assists, keeping Webber off balance and distributing the ball to multiple options. Quintin Fongbemi added six kills, 3.0 blocks and 8.5 points, while Denny Martinez chipped in six kills and 7.5 points as part of Reinhardt's balanced front-row production.

Defensively, the Eagles' 7 blocks and sustained pressure at the service line helped force 19 Webber attack errors and 18 service errors. Patterson led Webber with five kills and 6.0 points, but the Warriors were unable to overcome the miscues as Reinhardt completed the sweep in front of an announced crowd of 34.