April 17, 2008

Box Score

PARKVILLE, Mo. - California Baptist University got 28 kills from Donald Baliaba and 17 more from Adiel Tiedjop, using extra points in two of its three wins to take a 3-1 victory over Lindenwood Thursday in the opening match of the 2008 NAIA Men's Volleyball National Invitational Tournament.

The win improves Cal Baptist to 13-11 on the season and 1-0 in Pool B, while Lindenwood falls to 25-9 and 0-1. The Lions were led by Joe Deimeke with 16 kills. CBU is back in action later today against St. Ambrose at 4:30, while Lindenwood plays SAU in the first match of the day Friday at 10 a.m.

No. 5 Lindenwood had and upset in the making going in game one, as the Lions led the No. 2 Lancers 23-17 late, but Cal Baptist got within two at 26-24, forcing a Lindenwood time out, and out of the break, an Eric Plunkett block got CBU within one, 26-25.

The Lancers later tied it at 27-27, and after the game went to extra points, Rich Parris knocked down an ace to win it, 35-33.

LU again led early in game two, jumping out to a 7-4 advantage, but a late Cal Baptist rally put the Lancers in front 22-20. Lindenwood later tied it at 24, and the Lions forced a last-minute CBU time out by taking a 29-28 lead.

The Lancers tied out of the time out, but Deimeke put one down from the left side to regain the lead 30-29, and the Lions got a block to end it, 31-29, tying the match at 1-1.

Lindenwood brought the momentum from game two's win into the early portions of game three, winning the race to 20 points and eventually taking a 21-16 lead. Deimeke made it 22-17 from the left side of the floor two plays later, and after the Lions went up 23-17, Deimeke stuffed Baliaba at the net to take a seven-point lead, 24-17.

Cal Baptist then went on a 9-2 run to tie it at 26-26, forcing an LU time out, and the Lions regained the lead out of the break on a Prince Wilson point from the left side, 27-26. CBU then tied at 28-28 to assure a third-straight two-point game, and Lindenwood was later forced to tie at 29-29 to ensure a third-straight extra-point affair.

Baliaba would close the book on game three, getting a kill from the middle to end it at 31-29 to take a 2-1 match lead.

After a back-and-forth start to game four, Cal Baptist took an 18-15 lead midway through, and Tiedjop made it 20-16, slamming the left side of the Lion defense from his right side to take a four-point lead. Lindenwood made a run to get within two, earning the next two serves, but after a time out, Yukai Sun notched a left-side kill to make it 24-21 late.

Two more Lindenwood points again reduced CBU's lead to one at 24-23, but the Lancers went on a 4-0 run to make it 27-23. Sun would take over from there, earning the final two points to win 30-26.

The tournament's opening contest was a rematch of both the 2005 and 2006 title bouts, as Cal Baptist came away with 3-0 wins, helping push its current reign of four-straight tournament titles.