WILKES-BARRE – Six different players recorded career high statistics for the Wilkes University men's volleyball team as the Colonels battled to five sets before falling to visiting Eastern University (23-25, 25-18, 22-25, 27-25, 10-15) in a Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) match at the Marts Center Thursday night.

Junior outside hitter Andrew Potter (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth) recorded a double-double with a career-high 14 kills and a career-high 14 digs. Freshman middle hitter Randall Rykiel (Glen Burnie, MD/Archbishop Curley) also recorded a double-double with career-highs of 10 kills and 15 digs.

With the loss Wilkes dropped to 10-8 overall and 1-2 in MAC matches. Eastern improved to 8-5 overall and to 2-1 in the league.

The Eagles raced out to 6-1 lead in the first set but the Colonels would come back to tie the score five different times including at 23-23 before Eastern scored the final two points on Wilkes errors to take the first set 25-23.

With Eastern leading 5-4 in the second set, Wilkes scored the next five points to take a 9-5 lead. The run was highlighted by a Potter kill, a block by Cole Hefner (East Greenville, PA/Southern Lehigh) and Everett Fritz (Ringtown, PA/Hazleton Area), and a service ace by Zach Shay (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom). The Colonels stretched their lead to seven points at 20-13 following kills by Zach Evans (Nescopeck, PA/Berwick) and Rykiel. To close the set Wilkes scored its final three points on two kills by Rykiel and one by Potter to win 25-18 and even the match at 1-1.

The third set saw the Colonels lead by as many as four at four different times early on. A 12-6 run by Eastern gave the visitors an 18-16 lead but then Wilkes scored five of the next six points to go back ahead 21-19 following a Shay block and a Rykiel ace. The Eagles responded with a 6-1 run to win the set 25-22 and take the 2-1 lead in the match.

Eastern led by as many as six points at 16-10 in the fourth set as the Eagles looked to put the final touches on the road victory. Wilkes had other ideas and responded with small runs to claw back to within striking distance at 23-22 following two consecutive kills by Evans. After Eastern recorded their own kill to have match point, Rykiel put away another kill to keep the Colonels alive. Two attack errors in a row by Eastern then gave Wilkes a set point but the Eagles were able to score the next point to tie the score again. Potter then took over with two straight clutch kills from Shay sets to push the match to a fifth set as Wilkes won set four 27-25.

In the first-to-15 fifth set the Eagles started strong to open 6-1 and 9-3 leads. The Navy and Gold would cut the lead to three after a Shay kill and an Eastern attack error but the deficit proved too much to make up as Eastern scored the final two points needed on a kill and an ace to seal the five-set win 15-10.

Joining Potter and Rykiel with career-high numbers on the night were four other Colonels. Shay finished with a career-best 47 assists while Fritz put away a career-high nine kills and had a career-best four blocks. Defensively in the back row, it was Alberto Ramon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) with a career-high 19 digs and Joseph Gayton (Wilkes-Barre, PA/James M. Coughlin) with a career-high 17.

Hefner tied his season-high of six blocks to lead the Colonels while JD Kirby (Eastport, NY/Eastport-South Manor) added nine digs. Evans finished with 11 kills.

Three Eagles ended with double-digit kills led by Foster Lobb with a match-high 16. Five players from Eastern collected double-digit digs led by Justin Flor with 18. Noah Westbrook had a game-high four aces.

The Colonels will remain idle through Wilkes University's Spring Break and return to the court on Wednesday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m. across town against King's College for the first-ever MAC meeting between the two.