Lucas Mikhnyuk made one request consistently throughout his four years with the Plum boys volleyball program. Before Tuesday night, the answer had always been no. The 5-foot-6 senior libero always wanted to try his hand at hitting on the outside.

“I always just loved hitting the ball,” Mikhnyuk said. “Trying to smack it as hard as I can.”

Mustangs coach William Marzina honored Mikhnyuk’s wish on senior night.

Mikhnyuk delivered two kills in the first set to help the Mustangs pull an upset of Fox Chapel. The Foxes beat Plum in the first meeting, but the Mustangs changed the story the second time around, collecting a 25-21, 27-25, 25-22 sweep.

Plum’s win helped provide the program confidence. The Mustangs (2-8, 2-8) made life more difficult for the Foxes, who have ambitions of winning the section.

Marzina said he was happy with Mikhnyuk’s effort and his progress as a player.

“This is my second year, I remember him telling me last year that he wanted to hit,” Marzina said. “I told him no and that he was going to be a libero. He said he didn’t want to be a libero and he wanted to hit. I told him on his senior night he would be able to hit, I was happy he got at least two kills and I really wanted him to get a block.”

Plum’s win was spurred on thanks to the excellent hitting of sophomore Bryce Nabozny. He finished with a match-high 19 kills.

The Mustangs opened the match with Fox Chapel (7-5, 5-2) on a 5-0 run thanks to three kills from Nabozny.

Nabozny said Mikhnyuk’s success helped spark everyone.

“He’s very efficient,” Nabozny said. “He plays grass ball all the time. He played well on the outside. I felt he brought the team together. You saw, the bench was into it.”

What saved Plum this time around was its ability to pull together. The Mustangs never allowed Fox Chapel to run away.

The Foxes battled back to grab a 15-14 lead in the first set, but fell behind during a 5-0 run for Plum that included two Fox Chapel attack errors and a lift call on the Foxes.

In the second set, Plum rallied behind the serving of Devan Paul. Paul reeled off four consecutive service points, turning a 21-18 deficit into a one-point advantage after delivering an ace that hung on the top of the net before dropping down for a point.

Mikhnyuk was glad he found success on senior night after talking about hitting for so long.

“I always wanted a chance to hit and I really looked forward to it,” Mikhnyuk said. “I was so happy. I was so pumped.”