WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University men's volleyball team fell in straight sets against Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) foe Alvernia University Thursday night at the Marts Center by set scores of 25-17, 25-20, and 25-16.

After the loss Wilkes is 4-12 overall and 1-4 in the MAC while Alvernia moved to 7-6 overall and to 3-2 in the conference.

The Colonels were tied early in the first set when Andrew Potter (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) collected a kill off the hands of a Golden Wolves block attempt to make the score 3-3. Alvernia then scored five straight points to open breathing room and Wilkes was unable to close to within better than three points as the Golden Wolves took the first set 25-17.

Daniel Sales (Laflin, Pa./James M. Coughlin) tied the second set at 2-2 on a kill after a pass from Salvatore Purpura (Plains, Pa./James M. Coughlin) but Alvernia would then go on a six-point run to open an 8-2 lead. The lead would stay comfortable until the Golden Wolves reached set point at 24-15. The Colonels then turned in their best scoring run of the match with five consecutive points behind the strong play of Cole Hefner (East Greenville, Pa./Southern Lehigh). He recorded a solo block and two service aces in the run before Alvernia put away a kill to finish the second set at 25-20.

Wilkes held the lead early in the third set with Jones Mensah (Philadelphia, Pa./Central) putting away a kill to keep the Colonels ahead 6-5. But with the score knotted at seven the Golden Wolves scored six points in a row to take a 13-7 lead and never looked back in taking the third set 25-16 and earning the 3-0 sweep.

Sales led the Wilkes attack with eight kills and a .273 hitting percentage. He also had a team-high 11 assists. Brian Schumacher (Fleetwood, Pa./Fleetwood) followed with seven kills and two blocks. Michael Henne (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) set a new career-high with 10 digs and Kyle Price (Mountaintop, Pa./Crestwood) added nine digs. Dylan Smith (York, Pa./Dallastown) contributed four kills and eight digs and Purpura finished with 10 assists and six digs.

Collin Welteroth connected for 15 kills and Justin Gibbs had 39 assists for Alvernia.

Wilkes is right back on the court tomorrow night when it travels to Jamaica, N.Y. for non-conference action facing York College (NY) at 7:00 p.m. The Colonels defeated the Cardinals 3-0 at the Marts Center on February 14^th.