CHESTER, Pa. - The Messiah men's volleyball team continued their stellar week with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-12) sweep of the Widener Pride on Friday night in Chester, Pa. After winning the first two sets by identical 25-20 scores, Messiah used four service aces in the beginning of the third set to build an insurmountable 19-3 lead. The Pride battled late in the set, but the Falcons held on for the 25-12 victory and the 3-0 sweep.
 
The Falcons finished with nine aces on the night while three different Falcons ended the evening with at least a half dozen kills. Middle hitter Noah Shreiner led the offense for Messiah with nine kills and an impressive .818 hitting percentage. Both Ian Parzyszek and Marshall Nixon added six kills each.
Six different Falcons added at least once service ace with Nixon, Mason Nissley, and Isaiah Han picking up two each.
 
Messiah will be back on the court tomorrow at Kean for a tri-match against Lehman College and Kean University.
 
Taking a Lead
The Falcons opened up their match with a pair of 25-20 victories in both the first and second sets. In the opening set, Messiah steadily increased their lead throughout the game. The Falcons used a pair of 5-1 runs to pull away. The first run came early, with the Falcons trailing 3-1. Messiah used a string of Widener errors along with a kill from Ian Parzyszek to take a 6-4 lead.
 
Later in the set, Messiah held a slim lead at 14-13 before Noah Shreiner started their second 5-1 run of the nit with a kill off a feed from Matt Knab. Marshall Nixon also picked up one of his six kills on the night during to streak that put the Falcons up 19-14.
 
Messiah closed off the set by winning the final three points with a pair of kills from Shreiner and Mason Nissley along with an ace from Parzyszek.
 
The Second set was a little easier for Messiah, as the Falcons jumped out to a 14-6 lead. While Widener closed to within two at 18-16, Messiah ended the set on a 7-4 push to claim the set 25-20.
 
Finishing Off Strong
The Falcons refused to let off the gas in the third set. After securing an early 2-0 lead in the match, Messiah outhit the Pride .375% to -.222% in the final set. The Falcons built a massive 19-3 lead at the start of the set. While the Pride fought their way back, the early lead was too much as Will Webb collected the final kill of the set to give the Falcons the game, 25-12, and the match, 3-0.
 
Total Team Effort
Messiah bested the Pride with a dominant all-around performance on Friday night. As a team, the Falcons accumulated 31 kills, nine aces, 10 blocks, and 18 digs. Matt Knab recorded all 28 assists on the day for the Falcons, while Caleb Weaver led the team with 12 digs.
 
What's Up Next
Messiah moves to 4-2 on the young season and 2-0 in the MAC. The Falcons will have a quick turnaround as they are back on the court at Kean for a tri-match against Lehman College and Kean University. Messiah takes on Lehman at noon before squaring off with the host Cougars at 2:00 p.m.