Owings Mills, Md. (February 13) — The Stevenson men's volleyball team showed fight from start to finish Friday night inside Owings Mills Gymnasium, pushing Southern Virginia to a full five sets in a back-and-forth thriller before narrowly falling, 3–2 (25–22, 27–25, 20–25, 15–25, 8–15).

Set 1: Stevenson established the tone early with aggressive swings from Tanner Laukhuff and Jackson Bones. After trading points through the middle of the set, Kevin Kouchoukos and Corwin Trouteaud helped control the net with key blocks to keep the Mustangs in front. Southern Virginia briefly grabbed an edge , but out of a timeout Connor Roth found Laukhuff and Kevin Kouchoukos nailed a kill to keep the Knights their toes. Laukhuff capped the set with another termination to clinch the opener, 25–22.

Set 2: The Mustangs carried that momentum into the second frame. Bones found an opening from the outside while Kouchoukos and Adam Sawyers spread the offense efficiently, keeping the Knights guessing. Stevenson built a small cushion with defensive stops and forced errors, but the set tightened late. Locked in a battle, Laukhuff again delivered in crunch time with a kill, and followed with the finishing point to secure a 27–25 win and a two-set advantage.

Set 3: Southern Virginia responded in the third, jumping ahead early. Stevenson stayed within striking distance behind kills from Bones and Kouchoukos, and JD Sarmuksnis anchored the back row with several digs to extend rallies. Despite the effort, a late Knights run created separation as they took the set, 25–20.

Set 4: The Knights continued their push in the fourth. Laukhuff and Bones kept swinging to slow the momentum, and Trouteaud added a block to spark the bench, but Southern Virginia's offense found rhythm down the stretch. Stevenson battled through long exchanges before the visitors evened the match with a 25–15 decision.

Set 5: In the decisive fifth, the Mustangs fought for every point. Bones and Sawyers each registered early kills to keep it close. Southern Virginia pieced together a small run, however, and edged the final set, 15–8.


The Mustangs will look to bounce back quickly when they take the court against Mount Union in the final match of the Mustang Classic on Saturday, February 14 at 2:00 p.m.