Oh, so close. The Park University Gilbert men's volleyball team dropped two matches on day one of the Rio Grande invitational in Rio Grande, Ohio. The Bucs dropped the first match 3-2 (20-25, 25-23, 25-19, 13-25, 8-15) to Aquinas College and then the second match 3-1 (17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 18-25). The Bucs drop to 0-3 on the season, but are playing a very competitive brand of volleyball in 2025.

Match 1 – Aquinas 3, Park Gilbert 2

The Bucs had this one in their grasp but it slipped away over the last two sets. Park took a 2-1 lead for the firs time since March 3, 2023, when they won in five sets over Pacific Union. This was also the last time the Bucs played a five-set match.

Park had 41 kills for the match and hit .072. Their undoing were 32 attack errors and 17 serve errors. Aquinas had 49 kills and only 19 attack errors. They also committed 17 serve errors.

Individually, freshman Dominic Smith led the team with 12 kills, while graduate outside hitter Xander Thesz had 11. It was a career high in the short career for Smith. Thesz posted his first career double-double as a Buc as he had a career high 11 digs. In his last run with the Bucs, Thesz was playing in the middle and did not see much action as a defender. Freshman Azzlyn Potts also set a career high with eight kills and nine digs.

Junior setter Trevor Ayala also set a career high with 21 assists in the match. A record which would be short lived.

Match 2 - Rio Grande 3, Park Gilbert 1

Park Gilbert returned to the floor against the host Red Storm and played a solid match but fell in four sets.

Smith led the way again with 11 kills and four blocks. Senior opposite David Shafer added nine kills and sophomore middle Jonah Baich had four kills and four blocks. Freshman Emilio Feliciano also had his match to date as a Buc with six kills and hit .118.

Sophomore Zac York set a career high with 16 digs which is the third most in a match in school history. Only Kale Rubin with 21 and 19 respectively, in 2020 had a better night in the back row.

It didn't take Ayala long to reset his career high in assists as he posted 26 helpers in this four set match.

The Bucs get right back on the court tomorrow afternoon as they take on Oakland City University at 2 p.m. Arizona time and Bluefield University at 5 p.m. Arizona time.