CHESTER, PA – Standout performances from a number of Colonels led the Wilkes University men's volleyball team to a come-from-behind Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) win at Widener University Wednesday night. After falling behind 2-0 Wilkes won the next three sets to take the match 3-2 (23-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-23, 15-11).

With the victory Wilkes improved to 6-14 overall and to 2-4 in the MAC while Widener fell to 0-9 overall and 0-6 in conference action.

The Colonels led early in the first set and never trailed by more than two points but it was the Pride that took the first set 25-23. The host then opened the match lead to 2-0 with a more comfortable second-set victory as Widener led by as many as five points at 21-16 on its way to winning 25-22.

Wilkes didn't give up on the match and the climb back began in the third set with a four-point run to take a 9-5 lead. Cole Hefner (East Greenville, Pa./Southern Lehigh) started things with a kill and Daniel Sales (Laflin, Pa./James M. Coughlin) followed with another. Brian Schumacher (Fleetwood, Pa./Fleetwood) then converted a solo block and Sales put away another kill in the important Colonels run. Wilkes did not allow Widener to close any closer than two points the rest of the set and Sales finished things off with a kill at 25-21.

The fourth set started off tight but another key four-point run turned things in the favor of the Colonels. This time Andrew Potter (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) started the run with a kill before Hefner connected with an ace. Schumacher then provided a kill and Potter stuffed a solo block at the net to put Wilkes ahead 12-8. The Colonels lead grew to as many as six before the Pride cut the deficit to just one point four times including at 24-23. Jones Mensah (Philadelphia, Pa./Central) made sure the match didn't end in the fourth set with a kill to give Wilkes the 25-23 set win and set up a decisive fifth set.

Widener grabbed the upper hand right away by building a 6-1 lead but Wilkes had one more comeback in them. The Colonels would go on a 14-5 run to close out the five-set win 15-11. Hefner had three kills in the set including two in a four-point spurt that evened the score at seven and another that tied the score at nine. A Schumacher solo block and Sales kill gave the Colonels the breathing room they needed at 12-9 and then a Schumacher kill and Sales ace pushed the set to match point before a service error by the Pride handed the final point to Wilkes.

Sales finished with his second triple-double of the season and third of his career with 13 kills, a season-high 26 assists, and 10 digs. Salvatore Purpura (Plains, Pa./James M. Coughlin) also helped direct a Wilkes offensive attack that recorded a season-high 61 kills. He dished out a career-high 30 assists on the night. Mensah set his career-high with 13 kills while Hefner added nine kills on 10 attacks with only one error for an .800 hitting percentage. Schumacher hit .733 with 11 kills on 15 attacks with no errors and he also set his career-high with six blocks.

The backline defense was led by Potter's career-high 13 digs. Kyle Price (Mountaintop, Pa./Crestwood) added 11 digs while Dylan Smith (York, Pa./Dallastown) tied his season-high with 10 digs and Joseph Gayton (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./James M. Coughlin) recorded a career-best seven digs. As a team the Colonels set their season-high mark with 55 digs.

Wil Cicciatore had a match-high 19 kills and A.J. Sungenis added 15 kills and 12 digs for the Pride. Billy Barclay directed the Widener offense with 44 assists.

The Colonels have two full weeks off before returning to action on Thursday, March 15 for a non-conference match at Lehman College.