MILWAUKEE – Senior Nick Manning posted 38 kills over two matches to lead the MSOE men's volleyball team to a season-opening split against Cardinal Stritch and Benedictine in a triangular it hosted Friday evening at the Kern Center.

The Raiders (1-1) fell to the Wolves (1-1) in a hard-fought five-set match 17-25, 25-20, 25-23 15-25, 15-10 in the opener, then rebounded to defeat the Eagles (1-1) 25-23, 21-25, 25-17, 25-19.

Manning opened the day with 20 kills against Stritch, then a double-double of 18 kills and 14 digs against Ben U.

The Raiders' offense was in mid-season form against CUS, attacking at a .299 clip for the match with 63 kills. In winning the fourth set, the team hit .625 for the frame. Meanwhile, Stritch had just 39 kills and hit .142. A big difference in the match was a 22-7 discrepancy in service errors in the visitor's favor.

Freshman Neil Naughton finished with 15 kills against no errors for a .600 attack percentage and added six total blocks in his collegiate debut, while freshman setter Quin Krisik also had a standout debut with 55 assists.

Two more Raiders posted 10 kills the match in junior Brett Herbers, who hit .467 on his way to 10 kills, and sophomore Joe Humpal. Senior libero Adam Vlaj had a team-best 12 digs.

In the day's second match, the stats were much more even, with MSOE outlasting the first-year Eagle program. The Raiders saw their attack percentage drop to .188 in the second match, but they limited their opponents to .074 attacking and reduced service errors to just 10.

Naughton and Krisik also stood out in the second match. Naughton finished with 13 kills, while Krisik tallied 49 assists and 12 digs. Herbers had another efficient match, attacking .589 with seven kills and no errors.

The Raiders will see Benedictine again Wednesday, heading to Lisle, Ill., for another triangular to take on the Eagles and Loras.