As the Grow the Game Challenge in Nashville, Tennessee, drew to a close on Sunday, two teams came out undefeated as Lindenwood and Hawai’i went 3-0. In the end, Lindenwood was awarded the championship trophy on set winning percentage.
No. 7 Hawai’i closed out its tournament with sweep of No. 14 Grand Canyon and Lincoln Memorial. Lindenwood wrapped up its effort with a sweep of vote-getter Barton.
Hawai’i used a balanced and efficient offense to make its way past Grand Canyon, hitting at a .409 clip, including a .517 effort in the final stanza, while four players notched seven or more kills. Junior outside hitter Stijn van Tilburg downed a match-high 14 kills at a .407 clip, while sophomore opposite Rado Parapunov followed with 10 kills, a team-best five blocks and five digs.
The Rainbow Warriors kept their offense rolling against Lincoln Memorial, hitting .423, while also outserving LMU 7-0 in aces and outblocking their foe 12-4. Brandon Rattray carried the offensive load in the match with 14 kills and a .400 hitting effort, followed by Colton Cowell’s 11 kill outing.
For its part, Lindenwood served up nine aces and bested Barton 10-5 on the block en route to a sweep. Sophomore opposite Charley Hlavin and senior outside Nathan Van Dellen paced Lindenwood with 12 and 10 kills respectively. Hlavin hit at a .409 clip, while Van Dellen hit .286 and added five blocks and two aces.
Grow the Game All-Tournament Team
Barton: Wilfredo Rivera
Charleston: Brandon Greenway
Grand Canyon: Ashton King
Hawai’i: Stijn van Tilburg, Joe Worsley
Lincoln Memorial: Evan Cory
Lindenwood: Sam Schindler, Nathan Van Dellen
McKendree: Brendan Schmitt
Grow The Game Records
Hawaii 3-0: W 3-1 vs. Barton; W 3-0 vs. Grand Canyon; W 3-0 vs. Lincoln Memorial
Lindenwood 3-0: W 3-0 vs. Erskine; W 3-0 vs. North Greenville; W 3-0 vs. Barton
McKendree 2-0: W 3-1 vs. Limestone; 3-0 vs. Lincoln Memorial
Charleston 2-0: W 3-1 vs. Limestone; W 3-0 vs. Erskine
Grand Canyon 2-1: W 3-0 vs. North Greenville; W 3-0 vs. Limestone; L 3-0 vs. Hawaii
Barton 0-2: L 3-1 vs. Hawaii; L 3-0 vs. Lindenwood
Lincoln Memorial 0-2: L 3-0 vs. McKendree; L 3-0 vs. Hawaii
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