CHICAGO – Roosevelt snapped a 23-set losing streak against Saint Xavier in a thrilling four-set loss to the second-ranked Cougars on Tuesday night at the Goodman Center.

Entering the match, the Lakers (0-8) had lost seven straight matches to the Cougars and all were sweeps for Saint Xavier. The Cougars jumped out to an early advantage by taking the first set 25-17 and the second 25-13, but a very different Lakers team emerged in the third and fourth sets. Roosevelt put together its best volleyball of the season to push Saint Xavier in both sets, winning the third 25-20 before dropping the fourth by the same score.

The first set was far closer than the score would indicate and the two teams engaged in several long, exciting rallies. The Lakers committed just three attacking errors and two service errors in the opening set, forcing the Cougars to at least earn their points. Roosevelt hit .212 as a team in the first set and was led by four kills from Kajetan Bieniek.

The second set quickly spiraled away from the Lakers with the Cougars scoring the first six points before Roosevelt called timeout. The Lakers never inched closer than five points the rest of the set as the Cougars effectively took away the Lakers' top options.

With their backs against the wall, the Lakers played free volleyball and electrified the crowd in the Goodman Center with big plays. Roosevelt hit .321 in the third set and trailed just three times, each by a point and none after Saint Xavier took a 9-8 edge. Twice, the Lakers went on 3-0 runs to break ties and take control of the set, holding their nerve as the set victory drew nearer.

Bieniek had four kills in the third set, as did Andrea Di Paola while Mark Zmojdzin smashed down three kills. But the defense was equally up to the task with Roosevelt blocking four attack in the third set, led by two assisted blocks for Achille Rustghi and a solo and an assisted for Lachlan Diamond. Roosevelt forced nine total attack errors from the Cougars in the third set and also benefitted from four service errors.

There were plenty of moments in the fourth set when it felt like the Lakers might force the match to go the distance. The first was when Rustghi was part of consecutive blocks – one with Zmojdzin and the other with Di Paola – to give Roosevelt a 9-6 lead. The Lakers then extended the lead back to 14-11 and the teams then traded points for a bit. The match finally slipped away when Saint Xavier won seven of the final nine points to break an 18-18 deadlock, but Bieniek still had four kills and Zmojdzin had three.

Bieniek led the team with 12 kills and a .231 hitting percentage and also added three total blocks in the match. Di Paola had eight kills and three assisted blocks while Zmojdzin finished with seven kills and three blocks. Rustghi had five rejections in the match and also recorded four kills on five attacks. DeShawn Hoston dished out 25 assists and Miguel Mendez Palencia had nine digs to lead the team, although Bieniek finished with eight digs himself.

UP NEXT:  The Lakers will return to their home court Friday evening at 7 p.m. for a matchup with Culver-Stockton at the Goodman Center.