WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University Colonels hosted the Purchase Panthers and the City College of New York (CCNY) Beavers for a Saturday men's volleyball tri-match.
 
The Colonels (2-2) swept the Panthers (0-3) 3-0 (25-15, 25-12, 25-13) before falling 3-1 (27-29, 25-19, 21-25, 20-25) against the Beavers (4-0).
 
The Panthers hung around early in the first set, sitting within two points, before the Colonels went on an 11-3 run to claim an insurmountable lead in the set.  They would finish out the last points with a 5-2 run to take the set comfortably.  The Colonels jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the opening points of the second and exchanged points for a few serves before the Colonels broke through with an 11-4 run to close out the set.
 
The Panthers would lead for their only serve of the match in the third set, taking an early 3-2 lead over the Colonels.  The Colonels would reply with a series of runs, going on a 5-1 run to take the lead back for good before going on a 7-2 run to take a commanding 15-9 lead in the set.  The two would bounce back and forth for a couple of points before a 7-1 run would close out the set and match for the Colonels.
 
The Colonels recorded eight blocks as a team and held the Panthers to a -.190 hitting percentage for the match.  Freshman setter Casey Shipman (Hershey, PA/Hershey) led all Colonels with 24 assists and six digs, while senior middle hitter Cole Hefner (East Greenville, PA/Southern Lehigh) had a team-leading six blocks and two service aces in the victory.  The Colonels had 31 kills as a team as freshman opposite Randall Rykiel (Glen Burnie, MD/Archbishop Curley) led with a career-best eight. 
 
Against the Beavers, the Colonels and CCNY hung close for the first half of the first set, with neither team taking more than a two-point advantage until the Colonels went on a 5-0 run to take a 19-14 lead.  The Beavers would find their answer late, taking a 9-4 run through the extra points to claim the first set 29-27.
 
The early second set would go similarly to the first set, but the Colonels 5-0 run late in the set would prove to be harder to overcome than the first set.  The Colonels took a 22-16 lead and would never look back on their way to a 25-19 set victory. 
 
The third set would start similarly, but the Beavers clawed out a 17-13 advantage with a 6-2 run.  The teams would trade 3-0 runs until the Beavers closed out a 25-21 victory with a 5-2 run.  The Beavers would stake claim to a 13-8 lead in the early stages of the fourth set before a Colonels 5-0 run would tie it up.  Another 9-4 run by the Beavers late would seal the set and the match for CCNY.
 
Outside hitters freshman Zach Evans (Nescopeck, PA/Berwick) and Andrew Potter (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth) led all Colonels in kills, with 14 and 10 respectively.  Hefner recorded a team-high three service aces and six blocks.  Freshman setter Zach Shay (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom) had a career-high 40 assists to lead the Colonels, while four Colonels would finish with double-digit digs on the day. JD Kirby (Eastport, NY/Eastport-South Manor) had 15, Joseph Gayton (Wilkes-Barre, PA/James M. Coughlin) 14, Alberto Ramon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) 13, and Shay 11.
 
The Colonels travel to Immaculata, Pa. next Friday at 7:00 p.m. to face Immaculata for an in-state showdown.  The Colonels hosted the Mighty Macs for their only match in program history last season and won 3-0 at the Marts Center.