February 4, 2008
 
This past weekend the JWU Men's Volleyball Team (the #7 ranked NAIA team in the country) hosted #10 ranked Missouri Valley College for matches on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.  The double header opened the Wildcats' home schedule as well as their conference schedule.  After two resounding victories, JWU evened their overall record at 3-3.  With the wins, the Wildcats reside atop the early MAMVIC-West standings, and have amassed three straight 3-0 victories over ranked opponents. 

JWU came out strong early and did not let up in Friday night's convincing 3-0 (30-20, 30-27, 30-24) win.  Bolstered by an electric home crowd of approximately 200, the Wildcats dominated the net by hitting .365 as a team, with 5 players hitting .400 or better.  The Wildcats were led offensively by Junior Eric Kiel's 12 kills and .550 hitting percentage and by Senior Cody Dunston's 9 kills and .571 hitting percentage.  Defensively, Juniors Curtis Oliver and Hapaki Kaululaau each recorded 11 digs, while Junior Ben Davies blocked 5 balls.

Things didn't get any easier on Saturday for the visitors from Missouri Valley as Johnson & Wales put on another impressive show, winning again 3-0, this time by game scores of 30-19, 30-28, 30-23.  In Saturday's re-match, the Wildcats weren't as effective offensively, but they stepped up their defense to record 49 digs and 11.5 blocks.  Senior Chance Dunston, Oliver, and Kaululaau each dug up 10 balls, while Davies was once again the Wildcats' leading blocker, this time with 7.  Oliver led all hitters with 16 kills, while Kiel continued to be extremely efficient with 10 kills, hitting at a .474 clip.

Riding a 3 match winning streak, Johnson & Wales heads to the East Coast this weekend for 4 matches against NCAA Division III opponents, Lasell College, Endicott College, Johnson & Wales-Rhode Island, and Newbury College.