Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Town and Country, Mo.-- Cumberland faced tough competition on the final day of the Maryville Invite, dropping their two matches of the afternoon. 

Cumberland (1-6, 0-0) men's volleyball faced tough NCAA competition this weekend in Missouri. Though they were unable to grab a win in the tournament, they saw several of their players put up big numbers to showcase the team's potential. 

Vs. Missouri S&T

The Missouri S&T attackers gave a consistent performance at the net in both attacking and blocking categories. Cumberland, however, struggled with hitting errors, more than doubling those of the Miners, which hindered their ability to make significant runs during the match.

Jacob Whyte stood out as Cumberland's key player, earning 17 kills without contributing to the team's error count. Aidan Hueler ran a 6-1 offense for 25 assists, while Caleb Ginnings continued to impress with a game-high eight digs.

The Miners had two attackers hit double figures with Nate Myers finishing with 13 and Aaron Sallade not far behind with ten. Setter Grant Edwards led with 29 assists.

Cumberland started strong in the first set as an opening ace from Hueler quickly turned into a 6-3 lead with kills from Kix Ferrell and Jacob Whyte. However, back-to-back swings from Nate Meyers sparked a four-point run for the Miners, shifting the game's advantage in their favor.

The teams exchanged points and traded the lead until the Miners' pins created a 17-13 gap. Despite a timeout called by the Phoenix, the Miners' attackers maintained momentum. Missouri S&T finished with a .526 team attacking percentage, limiting Cumberland to .167% and winning the set 25-17.

In the second set, the Miners' energy persisted as Cumberland's front row struggled with errors. A 7-1 run gave the Miners a 9-5 lead, and they continued to dominate with only two attacking errors compared to Cumberland's ten, winning 25-16.

Cumberland's attackers found their rhythm in the third set, taking a 4-2 lead with kills from Zendai Richard, Kaden Keuhler, and Whyte. The Miners responded with a four-point run, but Cumberland, led by a kill and block from Austin Smalley, fought back to tie 6-6. 

The teams went back and forth with two-point runs until the Miners pulled ahead 19-15 with a string of four unanswered points.

The Phoenix made a convincing counterattack with Whyte serving, who nailed two aces for a 24-23 lead. Despite Cumberland's best efforts, the Miners tied the score with a kill from Tyler Johnwick and finished with a three-point run to secure the sweep.

Vs. Roosevelt 

Jacob Whyte finished with yet another game-high kill count, adding 13 for a total of 30 across the day's seven sets. Caleb Ginnings played incredible defense all game long, finishing with 19 digs to lead all players.

Cumberland took control over set one from the first point and maintained momentum with strong defensive plays from Ginnings and an effective blocking scheme, building a 10-6 advantage. 

Cumberland stayed in front during the middle stages of the match, as the Lakers struggled with repetitive serving errors that prevented them from making scoring runs. Whenever Roosevelt seemed to be closing in on the score, a service error would give the ball back to Cumberland, allowing them to maintain a lead of at least two points.

As Cumberland appeared poised to cruise to victory with a 21-16 lead, Roosevelt regrouped with a timeout. The Lakers emerged with renewed energy, mounting a three-point run to narrow the gap to just two points.

The final push was highly competitive, as Cumberland reached set point at24-21 but the Lakers managed to stay in the game with an immediate block. Benefitting from a final error on Roosevelt's side, the Phoenix secured their first set win of the weekend at 25-22.

Roosevelt started set two hot with a three point streak before yet another serving error interrupted their momentum. The Phoenix, however, were unable to do anything with the opportunity and they fell behind by as many as six points.

Cumberland struggled defensively down the stretch as they were repeatedly forced out of system by Roosvelt's strategically placed attacks.

The Phoenix had several opportunities to stage a comeback, as the Lakers often ended their own scoring runs with unforced errors. However, Cumberland struggled to capitalize on these opportunities and ultimately fell short, losing the set 25-18.

Cumberland found themselves playing catch-up early in the third set, as Roosevelt took a 4-2 lead with a series of powerful swings. 

The Phoenix faced challenges on defense, with the Lakers utilizing deep corner shots and short serves to keep the back row alert and using tool swings to keep the blockers honest. Due to this pressure, Cumberland was unable to string together more than a two-point run as the set progressed.

Roosevelt cruised to a 25-15 win to secure the game's advantage.

The Lakers had a strong 4-0 start to the fourth set, while Cumberland had difficulty finding their rhythm. 

Despite trailing by at least two points for much of the first half of the set, Ginnings' exceptional defensive plays gave the Phoenix a fighting chance.

With impressive contributions from Whyte, including a kill and an ace, the Phoenix closed the gap to just one point at 17-16. However, Cumberland was unable exploit this momentum, and Roosevelt regained their energy to pull away.

The Lakers closed out the match with a 25-20 score.

The Phoenix will be back in action on February 20 as they face No. 9 Georgetown on the road. The game is scheduled for a 6 PM CT start.