Wilkes Men's Volleyball Drops Two to MAC Opponents
HOBOKEN, N.J. – The Wilkes University Colonels traveled out to face the Stevens Ducks, ranked fifth nationally, and the Alvernia Golden Wolves in a Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) tri-match Saturday.
The Colonels (9-20, 0-10 MAC) dropped a 3-1 affair against the Golden Wolves (12-10, 6-5) before being swept by the no. 5 Ducks (24-3, 11-0) in straight sets.
Ethan Speicher (Midlothian, VA/Cosby) recorded four blocks on the day, which moved him into first place in the Wilkes record book for career blocks with 187.
An 8-2 early run by the Golden Wolves in set one put them far ahead of the Colonels on their way to a 25-17 set victory. The Navy and Gold struck back in set two, holding onto a slim lead after a 5-2 start to the set. A 4-0 run put Alvernia ahead 13-11, but a 5-1 Navy and Gold run gave them the lead back at 16-14. Wilkes would never trail for the rest of the set, a 5-2 run late effectively closing out the 25-22 victory. The Colonels would hold onto a small lead halfway through the third set at 12-11 before a 7-2 Golden Wolves run put them firmly in the driver's seat at 18-14. The Colonels would make one last valiant effort, a 7-2 run to push them to a 21-20 edge, but Alvernia would close out the set on a 5-0 run to win 25-21.
A 6-1 Golden Wolves run after the squads were tied up at eight-all gave Alvernia a lead they would never relinquish, taking home a 25-18 victory to earn a 3-1 match victory.
Jackson Shafer (Milford, PA/Delaware Valley) recorded 14 kills in match one, his career high, with
Paul Binner (Tunkhannock, PA/Tunkhannock) joining him in the double-digit kill club with 10. Binner would add in 10 assists for a double-double, while
Casey Shipman (Hershey, PA/Hershey) fueled the offense with 21 assists.
Jacob Mages (Buffalo, NY/Iroquois Central) would lead the squad with four blocks while Binner added in three, and
Noah Taylor (Lumberton, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional) posted a 12-dig affair.
The Colonels lost to Stevens in 25-14, 25-13, 25-15 fashion, with the Ducks hitting .379 percent and the Colonels -.043 percent.
The Colonels return home for their Senior Night home finale as they host the King's Monarchs for another MAC showdown at the Marts Center. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday in a rematch of a road matchup the Navy and Gold lost 3-0 at King's on 2/16/22.
