Wilkes Men's Volleyball Splits Non-Conference Tri-Match
AURORA, N.Y. - The Wilkes University Colonels traveled to New York to compete against Penn State Behrend and host Wells College. Wilkes would fall to Penn State Behrend 3-2 in the first game, but come back and sweep Wells 3-0 in the second game in non-conference action in Saturday afternoon competition. Wilkes would fall to the Lions 23-25, 2522, 25-22, 19-25, 11-15 while beating the Express 25-23, 25-22, 25-22.
Wilkes would keep their historic start going as they would go 7-2 on the year, the best start for the Colonels since the program was added to Wilkes athletics in 2017. Penn State Behrend would go 4-2 on the year while Wells is 0-5 to start the season.
The first match for the Colonels would begin with Penn State Behrend. The first set would see both teams trade the lead back and forth. The Lions would get kills from Joshua Elegeer, Lewis Rhodes, and Dylan Buzalka while Zach Shay (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom), Jackson Shafer (Milford, PA/Delaware Valley), Lucas Mages (Buffalo, NY/Iroquois Central), and Paul Binner (Tunkhannock, PA/Tunkhannock). With the game tied at 8-8, the Lions would go on a 9-5 run to take a 17-13 lead. The Colonels would get four of the next five points with Noah Taylor (Lumberton, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional) and Shay to get within one point, but the Lions would continue to trade points with Wilkes to make the game 24-23 in the first set. The Lions would get a kill from Kyle Hoffman to give Penn State Behrend to give the first set to the Lions.
The second set would see the same type of back and forth as the game would be tied 6-6. The Lions would keep up their momentum and get a 12-10 lead, but Wilkes would score the next six points behind L. Mages, Taylor, Binner, and Shay kills to go ahead 16-12. Wilkes would keep up their attack as they would be up 21-16 over Penn State Behrend, but the Lions would get as close as two points before L. Mages got the last point for the Colonels, earning the second set and tying the series at 1-1.
The third set would see both teams go on their own runs as the Colonels and Lions would score three straight points to begin the set. Penn State Behrend would take the lead at 7-5 before Wilkes would get five straight points to go ahead once again 10-7. After another two-point span for the Lions, Wilkes would score five straight points for the second time in the set with Shay getting back-to-back service aces and two straight L. Mages kills to hold a 15-10 lead. Wilkes would keep ahold of their lead as they got a 23-17 lead with Shafer and Taylor kills. The Lions score five of the next six points to make it a 24-23 game, but a service error would give the Colonels the third set and a 2-1 lead over Penn State Behrend.
The fourth set would see the Lions begin to comeback as they would get a 6-2 lead. Wilkes would get six of the next eight points as the Colonels would tie the game at 8-8. Penn State Behrend would get the lead back and keep their offense going, taking an 18-13 lead behind Alex Jackson and Owen Wienczkowski kills. The Colonels would try to get back into the game, but the Lions would keep ahold of their lead and take the fourth set 25-19 to tie the series as 2-2.
The fifth set would see both teams earn three straight points for themselves as they each would try and take the series here, eventually tying the game at 7-7. Penn State Behrend would get three straight points to take the lead and eventually hold onto the set as the Lions would beat Wilkes 15-11 and win the series 3-2.
Shafer and Taylor both tied the team-lead with 16 kills, with Shafer having three assists, a block, and 14 digs while Taylor has a block and team-leading 15 digs. L. Mages had 12 kills, nine digs, three blocks, and two service aces. Shay had a season-high 41 assists on the day while having three service aces and 12 digs.
The second set saw Wilkes go against Wells. The first set would see the Colonels have a 4-2 lead, but Wells would get four straight points behind Harrison Keena and Connor Garvey kills to make it a 6-4 Express lead. Wilkes would get nine of the next 11 points to retake the lead with Jacob Haller (Birdsboro, PA/Exeter Township) and Jacob Mages (Buffalo, NY/Iroquois Central) service aces while J. Mages and Binner had kills for the Colonels to take a 13-9 lead. The Express would get right back into the game as they went on a 7-3 run to tie the first set at 16-16. Both teams would continue to trade points and keep the game tied to 21-21, but Wilkes would get four of the next five points and earn the first set 25-22.
The second set would start with Wilkes getting a 6-2 lead with Haller and Binner kills before the Express would get the next five points to retake the lead. Both teams would get consecutive points before beginning to trade them with each other as they would have it tied at 16-16. The Colonels would get five of the next seven points and begin to keep the momentum over Wells and have the second set at 21-18. Wells would keep the game close and get it to 24-23, but Binner would get a kill to get the match point and give Wilkes the second set 25-23.
Wells would get ahead in the third set as they took a 4-2 lead with Kenna and Garvey kills, but the Colonels would score the next four to take the lead. Both teams would continue to trade points and the lead, with Wilkes eventually going on a 6-1 run to take an 18-13 lead as J. Mages and Haller would get kills for the Colonels. The Express would make one last run to get back into the set as they would tie it at 23-23 as they had a four-point run to get close with Wilkes, but a Matthew Molnar (South Abington Township, PA/Abington Heights) kill and service ace sealed the victory for the Colonels 25-23 and would finish the sweep.
Logan Evanosky (Dallas, PA/Dallas) would lead the team with nine kills in this series with Haller finishing second with eight of his own. Binner and J. Mages would get seven and six kills respectively. Casey Shipman (Hershey, PA/Hershey) would lead the team with a season-high 30 assists on the day while ting Haller with six digs and three service aces.
Wilkes will begin Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) action as they will host Widener University and Arcadia University on Thursday, February 9. The Colonels will play the Pride at 4:00 p.m. in the first game while they go against the Knights at 8:00 p.m.
