ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Messiah College men's volleyball team took care of business on Tuesday evening, defeating the Elizabethtown College Blue Jays in three-straight sets (25-21, 25-20, 25-22). The Falcons dominated offensively in the opening set, especially in the middle position, hitting an outstanding .625 as a team. Messiah continued to maintain the momentum winning set two (25-20) and a tight set three (25-22). With the sweep, the Falcons moved to 2-2 on the season, while the Blue Jays fell to 4-2.

This victory was a total team effort for Messiah. As a squad, they hit .342 on the match and collected 24 digs and 11 blocks on the defensive end. Mason Nissley and Noah Shreiner led the Falcons with eight kills apiece, while Luke Olson (7 kills), Nate Bowman (7 kills), and Ian Parzyszek (6 kills) were solid for the Falcons. Matt Knab led the offense with 34 assists, while Olson picked up seven digs. Shreiner was dominant at the net with seven blocks, while Knab added five of his own.

Dominant Middle Performance
The Falcons had a strong showing in game one, hitting an incredible .652 with 17 kills and only two errors on 23 attempts. Middles Nate Bowman and Noah Shreiner led Messiah offensively with 10 kills combined in the opening set.

The set began with some back-and-forth action and the Falcons were trailing 7-6 early. Messiah then pieced together a 5-0 scoring run to take an 11-7 lead over Elizabethtown. Nate Bowman got things started with a kill, which he followed up with back-to-back solo blocks. Another kill from Bowman off a quick transition set from Matt Knab and an ace from Luke Olson would complete this five-point Messiah swing. The Falcons continued to have the upper hand throughout the remainder of the set and began to pull away late (22-16) after scoring four-straight points. Messiah closed out the set at 25-21 after a service error from Elizabethtown.

Blue Jays Pull Ahead, Falcons Regain Momentum
The Falcons had a 3-1 lead at the start of the second set, however the Blue Jays tied things up at 5-5 after back-to-back service errors from Messiah. The two teams sided out back-and-forth, but then Elizabethtown jumped out on a five-point run to take a 12-7 lead. The Falcons ended this scoring spurt with a monster kill from Luke Olson and exploded on a 10-to-3 run of their own to regain a 17-15 advantage. Elizabethtown hung around and began to side-out with the Falcons, coming within one-point of the lead (20-19). Nonetheless, Messiah maintained their composure and closed out the set on a 5-to-1 run, including three team blocks, to win 25-20 and take a 2-0 lead in the set.

Messiah Secures the Sweep
Messiah was trailing Elizabethtown (5-2) early in the third set, however Noah Shreiner's presence at the net led to four-straight points for the Falcons and they took a one-point lead (6-5) over the Blue Jays. The squads kept it close throughout the middle of the set, until Messiah began to pull away 19-16 after an ace from Mason Nissley. The Falcons kept their foot on the gas and a kill from Ian Parzyszek and a block from Matt Knab and Nate Bowman gave Messiah a 22-18 advantage late in the set. Elizabethtown scored three-straight points after a kill and two Falcon errors to remain in the game (23-22). However, the Falcons weren't fazed and closed out the set with back-to-back points, including another Shreiner and Knab block combo, to pick up the 25-22 victory.

What's Up Next
After a weekend off, the Falcons will return to Jordan Court on Wednesday, Feb. 5 to host their first Middle Atlantic Conference match of the season. Messiah will take on last year's conference champions, Arcadia University, at 7:00 p.m.