PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. – Roosevelt had its best defensive performance of the season with 11 blocks in a three-set sweep of Trinity Christian on Tuesday in Palos Heights.

The Lakers (5-16) set the tone from the opening point of their regular-season finale when Lachlan Diamond and Daniel Mahoney combined to block a Trolls attack. Roosevelt would go on to win the opening set 25-23 then had five blocks in the second set, which the Lakers took 25-17. In the third set, Roosevelt gained control in an 8-0 run that featured two blocks before the Lakers held on for a 25-23 triumph.

Diamond finished with six total blocks, all assisted, to tie for the team lead with Diego Esquivel, who had two solo blocks and four assisted ones. Achille Rustighi also had two solo stuffs for the Lakers while Mahoney finished with a pair of assisted blocks.

The opening set was back-and-forth for the most part, yet the Lakers continued to hold the upper hand for most of the set. Trinity Christian took a 6-4 lead on the back of a 4-0 run, but the Lakers quickly responded to tie the set at 6 and never trailed after that point. Roosevelt had a few chances to pull away late in the set, but didn't finish the deal until Esquivel and Miguel Mendez Palencia had back-to-back kills to break the 23-23 deadlock.

Roosevelt controlled the entire second set after rocketing out to a 5-1 lead behind a kill and block from Rustighi. Consecutive blocks pushed the advantage out to 11-5 and the lead didn't drop below three points as the Lakers cruised to a second set win.

Trinity Christian came out flying in the third set by winning the first four points and putting Roosevelt on its heels. But Esquivel rose to the occasion and smacked down seven of his team-high 15 kills in the final set. The Lakers put together an 8-0 run to storm back for a 17-10 lead with Diamond providing two kills and two blocks while Esquivel had a kill and two stuffs.

After the Trolls rallied to cut their deficit to 17-16, Esquivel recorded three straight kills to spur a 6-0 run that gave the Lakers control yet again. The junior then finished the match with two more kills to punctuate the second win this year over Trinity Christian.

Diamond finished with eight kills on nine swings and Mahoney added six kills as well. Michele Bascape dished out 26 assists and finished with six digs while Palencia had a team-best eight digs.

UP NEXT: The Lakers await their first opponent at the Independent Volleyball Association Championships, which begin April 18 in St. Louis.