Wilkes Men's Volleyball Swept at Eastern University
SAINT DAVIDS, Pa. – The Wilkes University men's volleyball team fell on the road Thursday afternoon, dropping a non-conference contest to Eastern University 3-0.
Wilkes drops to 1-5 overall on the year with the loss, while Eastern improves to 3-1.
The Eagles won in straight sets by scores of 25-17, 25-23, and 25-23, leading the game with 37 kills and a .373 hitting percentage.
Wilkes kept it close early in the set with a kill by
Jacob Mages (Buffalo, NY/Iroquois Central) tying the set at five. Eastern pulled out to a 10-6 lead before the Colonels closed within a point thanks to two kills from
Jackson Shafer (Milford, PA/Delaware Valley) to make it 11-10 Eastern. The hosts stretched the lead to 22-13 with an 11-3 run to eventually take the set victory.
In the second set, the teams tied with one another fourteen times during the second set, matching each other shot for shot. With the score tied at 16, Eastern pulled away to take a 24-19 lead. Four straight Colonel points on four Eagle errors brought the Colonels within one, but a kill by Symir Bird gave Eastern the set win.
With the score 11-6 Eastern in the third set, Wilkes came back to tie the game at 16 with a 10-5 run thanks to kills from Shafer, Johnnathan Rocca, and
Lucas Mages (Buffalo, NY/Iroquois Central). The Eagles pulled away from there to take a 22-18 lead, before a five-point swing punctuated by a
Jacob Haller (Birdsboro, PA/Exeter Township) ace gave the Colonels their first lead of the set 23-22. Unfortunately for the Colonels, a 3-0 Eastern run finished the set and sealed the game.
Shafer led the Colonels with 16 kills and a season-high .444 hitting percentage.
Joshua Conley (Chalfont, PA/Central Bucks South) and
James Brust (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) both dished out double-digit assists at 18 and 13 respectively, with Conley also leading the team in digs with five.
Wilkes returns to the Marts Center for their contest, a tri-match against Penn State Schuylkill and John Jay College on Sunday, January 26. The first match against PSU Schuylkill is set for 10:00 a.m.
