HOBOKEN, N. J. – The #15 Messiah men's volleyball team completed a road doubleheader sweep at #13 Stevens Institute of Technology, claiming Match One 3-2 (25-20, 21-25, 18-25, 25-18, 15-12), and completing the sweep in Match Two, 3-1 (25-21, 25-18, 24-26, 25-20), Saturday afternoon. Sophomore outside hitter Mason Nissley turned in two phenomenal offensive performances, tallying a match- and career-high 35 kills in Game One, shattering the Messiah men's volleyball program record for kills in a single match (26). Nissley followed up in Match Two, tallying a game-high 27 kills.
 
Outside hitter Ian Parzyszek contributed nine kills in Match One and 10 kills in Match Two, while reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Week Owen Hanzelman had a match-high 15 digs in Match One, while his 11 digs in Match Two tied teammate Jared Keul for the match-high during the doubleheader-sweeping second match for Messiah. Senior setter Matt Knab shined on the day, dishing out 94 assists throughout the two matches. His 50-assist first match performance was a match-high, as well as his 44-assist Match Two contributions.
 
Match One
The Falcons earned the set one victory, 25-20, behind 20 kills as a team. The Falcons notched three service aces on the set. Hitting .714% on the set, Nissley tallied an incredible 12 kills.
 
Messiah proceeded to drop the following two sets, combining for just 20 kills. The Ducks had four service aces in the second set, as the Falcons had their backs against the wall, trailing, 2-1, heading into the third set.
 
Earning four service aces from four different Falcons (Nate Bowman, Nissley, Matt Knab, and Jared Keul) on the match-tying fourth set, Messiah cruised into the match-deciding set with momentum. Tied, 7-7, the Falcons rattled off three-straight points to claim a 10-7 edge in Game Five. Nissley hammered home four kills for the final four points for Messiah, earning the Match One victory, 3-2.

Overall, Messiah swung at a .452% clip. Knab's 50 assist matched a season-high (2/27 at Arcadia). 
 
With the victory, the Falcons improved to 7-1 on the season ahead of Match Two of the doubleheader against Stevens.
 
Match Two
Messiah looked to complete the doubleheader sweep of Stevens, with Match One being the first time the two sides have ever met. The Ducks jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but the Falcons answered with three-consecutive points of their own behind a kill from Nissley and a combination of Stevens errors. The Falcons and Ducks traded blows throughout the whole set, as a late one-point Stevens advantage (17-16) was eliminated by a Parzyszek kill, leveling the score, 17-17. Nissley, following up his record-breaking Match One performance, registered four of his set-leading 11 kills to close out the first set for the Falcons, 25-21.
 
The Falcons jumped out to an early edge in the second set, 6-2, highlighted by service aces from Parzyszek and Bowman. The Messiah lead extended to 13-7 after a Parzyszek kill, as the Falcons never looked back in the set. The advantage peaked at seven points on three different occasions, propelled by five kills throughout the set from Bowman. A nail-in-the-coffin swing from Christian Wolf clinched the set for Messiah, 25-18, as the Falcons were just a set victory away from sweeping Game Two, and claiming the doubleheader against the hosts.
 
The Ducks did not roll over in the third set, proving to be a close affair between the two sides. Stevens broke a 10-10 deadlock by scoring three-straight points, before a kill from Nissley silenced the scoring run. The Falcons trailed throughout much of the set, but fought back, tying the score at 20-20 after a 4-0 scoring surge. During the scoring run, Nissley notched two of his 27 match-high kills during the scoring run, as Messiah was able to capitalize on two attacking errors from the Ducks. Messiah took a promising 24-23 lead, but three-consecutive Stevens points earned the hosts the third set victory, 26-24.
 
Messiah was able to limit Stevens' momentum after dropping the third set. Nissley contributed three kills to supplement the Falcons' opening five points of the fourth set. Messiah trailed early, 8-7, until a kill from Keul leveled the score at 8-8. The two sides traded blows before a 5-1 Messiah scoring run broke a 14-14 tie. During the scoring spurt, four-consecutive attacking errors from Stevens' Noah Wilson handed the Falcons a 19-15 lead. A kill from Knab gave Messiah a 24-17 lead, as a fitting swing from none other but Nissley silenced the chance of any Ducks comeback. The Falcons clinched the set, 25-20, winning the match, 3-1, completing the doubleheader sweep.
 
Notable Falcons
The record-breaking doubleheader sweep will be a memorable one for Nissley, combining for an impressive 62 kills between the two matches. Bowman and Parzyszek joined Nissley in double figures kills during Match Two, as each Falcon registered 10 successful swings.
 
Messiah swung at a .326% clip during the first match, while swinging .342 in the second match. The doubleheader sweep improves the Falcons' 2021 record to 8-1, continuing their best start in program history.

What's Up Next
Messiah (8-1) will be back in action this Wednesday, Mar. 17, when they host Stevenson University (7-0) in a redemption match in Hitchcock Arena at 7:30 p.m.