Owings Mills, Md. (January 29) — The Stevenson Mustangs showed resilience Thursday night, battling back from a two-sets-to-one deficit to defeat Lancaster Bible in a five-set thriller, 3–2 (27–25, 20–25, 18–25, 25–20, 15–13). Timely serving runs, strong net play, and clutch late points fueled the comeback victory inside Owings Mills Gymnasium.

Set 1:
The Mustangs set the tone early behind kills from Corwin Trouteaud and Jackson Bones. Adam DeRubertis sparked momentum from the service line with an ace and forced attack errors to help Stevenson build an 11–5 cushion. Tanner Laukhuff added another ace as the Mustangs controlled much of the frame.

Lancaster Bible rallied late to tie the set at 24–24, but Stevenson stayed composed. Adam Sawyers delivered a clutch kill off a Connor Roth assist, and Trouteaud finished the set with a strong swing to secure the 27–25 opening win.

Set 2:
Stevenson grabbed an early advantage with kills from Bones, Laukhuff, and Kevin Kouchoukos, but the Chargers answered with a steady run midway through the set. Despite continued pressure from Bones on the outside and a late finish from RC Getteau, Lancaster Bible capitalized on a few Mustang errors to even the match at one set apiece, 25–20.

Set 3:
The third set featured several long rallies and early ties as Bones and Sawyers kept the Mustangs within reach. Trouteaud added a pair of key points in transition, but Lancaster Bible found its rhythm offensively and created separation late to take the 25–18 decision and a 2–1 match lead.

Set 4: 
Facing elimination, the Mustangs delivered their strongest response of the night. A Kyler Robinson ace and early kills from Kouchoukos and Bones helped Stevenson jump ahead. DeRubertis then took over from the service line, recording an ace and guiding a lengthy scoring run that flipped momentum.

Sawyers and Bones combined for critical blocks down the stretch, and Bones powered home consecutive kills to force a decisive fifth set with a 25–20 victory.

Set 5: 
The final frame was tight throughout. Sawyers and Robinson teamed up for an early block, while Kouchoukos added a timely kill to keep the Mustangs close. Stevenson continued to trade points before back-to-back scores from DeRubertis and Bones gave the Mustangs the edge.

Strong defense and another late finish from Sawyers sealed the comeback as Stevenson closed out the match, 15–13.


Stevenson now prepares for a tri-match hosted by Eastern Mennonite, taking on Rutgers–Newark at 2 p.m. and Southern Virginia at 4 p.m.