NEW-YORK, NY. – The Wilkes men's volleyball team earned its first tri-match sweep of the season Saturday afternoon at the Doghouse, defeating both John Jay College and Manhattanville University by 3-1 scores.

The Colonels improve to a 4-5 overall record, while the John Jay falls to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in conference and the Valiants fall to 0-2 overall.

Game 1: Wilkes 3, John Jay 1
Set one began evenly, with both teams trading points through the first five before the Bloodhounds pulled ahead with four unanswered points to take a 9-5 lead. Wilkes responded with a 7-3 run to knot the score at 12, fueled by two kills from Carter Otto (Mountain View, CA/Mountain View). The navy and gold then seized control with an 11-5 surge, highlighted by two kills and two service aces from Aaron Ladd (Souderton, PA/Pennridge) to build a 23-17 advantage. The Colonels finished strong to claim the opening set 25-19.

John Jay grabbed momentum early in set two, jumping out to an 8-2 advantage before the Colonels battled back within one behind a strong 10-5 run led by four kills from Otto. The surge wasn't enough to swing control, however, as the Bloodhounds answered with their own 10-4 stretch to move within two points of the set. The blue and gold managed to add a few late points, but John Jay held on to take the frame 25-17 and even the match.

With the match even, both teams battled for control early in set three before the Colonels gained a two-point edge at 11-9, prompting a John Jay timeout. Wilkes responded by extending its lead with four unanswered points to make it 15-9 and continued to push toward the finish. The Bloodhounds stayed within striking distance, using a 10-6 run to close the gap to 20-19, but the Colonels answered with a timely 5-3 stretch to secure the set 25-21 and regain the match advantage.

Set four unfolded much like the previous frames, with both sides trading points until the score was even at 11. Wilkes then found its rhythm, using three unanswered points to build a 14–11 lead. The Blue and Gold maintained that cushion through the middle stages of the set before pulling away late to close out a 25-18 victory and secure the match win.

Otto paced the offense with 12 kills with Aidan Hunter (Sinking Spring, PA/Wilson) just behind with ten. Ladd had a day behind the service line and at the net with four aces and nine blocks, while Joshua Conley (Chalfont, PA/Central Bucks South) led the passing game with 32 assists and a team-high eight digs. 

The Bloodhounds Adria Galve recorded a team-high 11 kills while Maxwell Law led in assists with 14 and Logan Ramos had 12 digs.

Game 2: Wilkes 3, Manhattanville 1
Wilkes came out strong in the second match of the day, racing to an early 13-4 advantage with four different Colonels contributing kills during the surge to force a Valiants timeout. The navy and gold maintained control out of the break, using a 5-1 run to extend the margin to 16-5. Wilkes cruised from there to a 25-15 first-set victory, with several players finding the floor offensively, led by Zach Sheaffer's (Lancaster, PA/Manheim Township) three kills in the set.

Set two opened as a back-and-forth battle before the Valiants used a 9-1 run to take control at 13-7. The Colonels responded in a big way, storming ahead with a pivotal 10-2 stretch highlighted by three service aces from junior James Brust (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) to claim a three-point advantage. Manhattanville answered with a 6-0 run to edge in front 21-20, and the teams traded points to 23 apiece. Wilkes finished strong, however, sealing the 25-23 set victory on an Aiden Amon (Pittstown, NJ/North Hunterdon) kill followed by a block from Brust and Ladd.

Refusing to surrender the match, Manhattanville jumped out to an early 10-6 lead in the third set. The Colonels battled back to trim the deficit to one, but were unable to regain control as the Valiants held on to claim their first set win, 25-19.

Wilkes seized momentum to open set four, building a 6-2 advantage with three different Colonels recording kills. The Blue and Gold maintained control through the stretch, using 7-4 and 9-6 runs while continuing to attack aggressively with contributions across the lineup. Wilkes cruised to a 25-16 victory in the final set to secure its second match win of the day.

Amon and Maha stayed hot on offense with both recording a team-high seven kills each, while Maha controlled the service line with a season-high seven aces. Conley and Brust paced the passing game with 18 and 17 assists respectively, while Ladd held down the defense with nine digs.

Trevor Kolar led the Valiants' offense and defense, recording ten kills and seven digs in the match, while Mason Moon led in assists with 18. 

Wilkes returns to the court on Wednesday, February 4th, as they travel to Elmira College for a stand alone match against the Soaring Eagles at 7:00 p.m.