WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes University men's volleyball team fell 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-18) to visiting Loras College in the team's home opener at the Marts Center Wednesday night.

Wilkes fell to 1-4 overall with the non-conference defeat while Loras stayed perfect moving its record to 3-0.

The Duhawks opened leads of 8-3 and 15-10 in the opening set but Wilkes battled back to tie the score at 17 with a 7-2 run. Daniel Sales (Laflin, Pa./James M. Coughlin) recorded three kills during the stretch. Jones Mensah (Philadelphia, Pa./Central) added a kill and Andrew Potter (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) tied the set with an ace. However, Loras would score eight of the final 10 points to take the first set 25-19.

After Wilkes was able to open the second set with 2-0 and 7-6 leads it was the Duhawks that took the advantage for good at 9-8 in the set. Two consecutive points on a Sales kill and Duhawks hitting error pulled the Colonels to within 17-14 but an 8-1 run for Loras closed out the second set at 25-15.

The Colonels jumped out to a 5-3 lead in the third set behind two kills from Sales but Loras gained the lead for good at 9-8 again. Wilkes trailed 23-15 before reeling off three-straight points on kills by Sales and Cole Hefner (East Greenville, Pa./Southern Lehigh) and a Duhawks attack error. Loras then closed out the match with the final two tallies to win the third set 25-18.

Sales led the Colonels with 12 kills and also contributed eight assists and three digs. Salvatore Purpura (Plains, Pa./James M. Coughlin) dished out 12 assists and had four digs and an ace. Mensah was second on the team with four kills followed by Potter with three. Potter also set career-highs with three digs and two aces. Kyle Price (Mountaintop, Pa./Crestwood) led the backline from the libero position with eight digs and Dylan Smith (York, Pa./Dallastown) added two kills, four digs, and one ace.

Ian Walsh led Loras with 10 kills and four blocks.

Wilkes is back in action on Saturday when it travels to Dallas, Pa. and Misericordia University to take on Wilson College at 12:00 p.m. and Bard College at 2:30 p.m.