GRANTHAM, Pa. - After 350 days off the Messiah men's volleyball team was back in the win column with a 3-0 (25-23, 26-24, 25-22) sweep of the Misericordia Cougars. Mason Nissley highlighted the effort for the Falcons with 18 kills and an impressive .371 hitting percentage on the evening. Middle hitters Nate Bowman and Marshall Nixon put together nearly identical stat lines with five kills each and a .444 hitting percentage.
 
Senior setter, Matt Knab dished out 37 assists as the Falcons hit at a .289 clip on the evening.
 
Despite all three sets decided by three points or less, Messiah earned a total of 44 kills against the Cougars' 21.
 
This evening's victory also marks the first time in program history that the Falcons won their season opener. Messiah will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Arcadia for a doubleheader beginning at 2:00 p.m.
 
Tight Match Throughout
The entirety of Wednesday night's match was tight with the Falcons winning all three sets by less than three points. In the entire match, neither team held a lead of more than five points, with Messiah holding that margin just twice, once early in set one and once late in set three.
 
Despite the tight battle throughout, Messiah had some highlight moments, including the first point of the season. The Cougars could not control the serve from Matt Knab and off the over pass, Mason Nissley put his first swing of the season down for a 1-0 Messiah lead. The Falcons used that momentum to build a five-point advantage at 9-4, but the Cougars would hang around. A 7-2 run for Misericordia later in the set leveled things up at 13-13.
 
After the Cougars took their first lead of the match at 18-17, Messiah promptly rattled off five of the next six points to take control, eventually closing out the set on a kill from Luke Olson with a 25-23 score.
 
Set two was even more back and forth with the Falcons needing to come from behind late to take a 2-0 lead. Trailing 15-14 midway through the set, Messiah used an 8-3 run highlighted by two kills from Nissley, a kill from Ian Parzyszek, and a block from Parzyszek and Marshall Nixon to take a 22-18 lead. The Cougars countered with a 6-2 run to level the score at 24-24, but Messiah won back-to-back points on a service error and an attacking error to claim the set by a 26-24 score.
 
Once again, the Falcons and Cougars traded points for a majority of the third set with Messiah holding a slim, 19-18 lead late. Kills from Nixon, Olson, and Nissley were part of a 5-1 Messiah run that put the Falcons in control late at 24-19. Three-straight Misericordia points cut Messiah's lead to two at 24-22, but a service error gave the Falcons the set, 25-22, and the match, 3-0.
 
Inside the Box Score
Mason Nissley was the lone player on the court Wednesday night to collect double-digit kills, finishing the evening with 18, more than double any Falcon or Cougar. Nissley ended the night with a .371 hitting percentage on 35 total attempts. In addition to his 18 kills, Nissley also collected a half dozen digs.
 
Fellow outside hitters Ian Parzyszek and Luke Olson chimed in with eight and kills, respectively. In the middle, Marshall Nixon and Nate Bowman were efficient, tallying five kills each on nine swing apiece. Both Nixon and Bowman ended the match with a .444 hitting percentage.
 
Setting up the offense was Matt Knab who dished out 37 assists for a 12.33 assists per set average. Knab nearly went for a double-double, ending the night with nine digs.
 
As a team, Messiah struggled from the service line, making 21 errors against just 11 from the Cougars to keep Misericordia in the match.
 
What's Up Next
As mentioned, the Falcons continue their early season slate with a doubleheader against the Arcadia Knights on Saturday afternoon in Glenside, Pa. The first match is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. with the second following immeditally after. Last season, the Falcons upset the Knights in Hitchcock Arena on Feb. 5 when Arcadia was ranked No. 9 in the country.