GRANTHAM, Pa. - The No. 14 Messiah men's volleyball team dropped their second match of the season on Wednesday night, falling to the visiting
Alvernia Golden Wolves in five sets 3-2 (26-24, 20-25, 25-23, 20-25, 15-12). Matt
Knab dished out a career-high 59 assists while Mason
Nissley ended the night with 33 kills, his second 30-plus kill performance of the season.
The opening set of the night was a tightly contested affair. The two sides traded blows before a Alvernia service error gave the Falcons their first lead of the night, 6-5. Kills from Nissley, Knab, and
Jared Keul leveled the score at 9-9. Knab's swing sparked a 4-0 Messiah scoring run, capped off by a Nissley kill to give the Falcons a 12-9 edge. The advantage would not prove to be formidable, as the visitors rode a 4-0 scoring streak of its own to claim a 23-21 lead. A kill from Alvernia's Tyler Anderson coupled with a Nissley attack error gave the Golden Wolves the opening set, 26-24.
The Falcons were playing catch-up, trailing 1-0. Messiah jumped out to a 5-2 advantage after consecutive Alvernia errors.
Nate Bowman connected on a swing, giving the Falcons a 10-7 lead. Messiah maintained its three-point edge throughout the set before three-consecutive points increased that lead to five points (22-17). Behind a .346 swing percentage, the Falcons closed out the second set, 25-20, behind kills from Nissley and Keul.
With the two conference foes knotted up, 1-1, the third set proved to be pivotal. A kill from Matt Schaeffer cut into an early Messiah deficit, 6-4, as four-consecutive points later in the set gave the Falcons their first lead (13-12). The Golden Wolves answered, riding a 6-2 scoring run to claim an 18-15 lead. Alvernia increased its lead, 19-17, before four-straight Messiah points, highlighted by consecutive kills from Bowman, gave the Falcons the lead, 21-19. Nissley recorded a kill to give Messiah a 23-22 edge, but Alvernia hung tough, rattling off three-consecutive points to clinch the third set, 25-23.
Messiah had its back to the wall, trailing, 2-1, Keul turned in a solid performance in the fourth set to save the Falcons. The junior setter contributed six kills, two solo blocks, and a service ace as Messiah claimed the set, 25-20. Swinging at a .632 percentage throughout the set, the Falcons were efficient in their offense, committing zero errors. The momentum peaked for Messiah during a 4-0 scoring run, as kills from Nissley and Keul gave the Falcons a 22-17 advantage. The Golden Wolves committed a service error to hand Messiah the set as the two sides headed for the decisive fifth set.
The winner-take-all set began with Messiah and Alvernia trading points. Tied, 6-6, Bowman and Nissley recorded a pair of kills for the Falcons' first four kills of the set. Knab added a kill, making it 8-8, as the Golden Wolves began to pull away. A 3-0 scoring run gave the visitors an 11-8 lead. Nissley recorded three more kills during the set, but it was not enough, as Alvernia clinched the match-winning fifth set, 15-12. The Golden Wolves were consistent, not giving the Falcons a lead during the set.
The setback snaps a six-game Messiah win streak, dropping the Falcons to 11-2 on the season.
Notable Falcons
Knab, with his career-high assists performance (59), notched his fourth game of the season of registering at least 50 assists. Along with dishing out a game-high assists mark, the senior setter recorded three of Messiah's four service aces. Nissley, in addition to his game-high 33 kills, tallied a game-high 10 digs. The two-time reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Week,
Owen Hanzelman, contributed eight digs while dishing out two assists. As mentioned, Keul had a phenomenal fourth-set performance, a part of his season-high 10 kills and six digs on the night. Bowman joined Keul and Nissley in double digits kills, tallying 16 kills, a career-high for the sophomore middle hitter.
What's Up Next
Messiah will have the weekend off, giving the Falcons time to rest for a repeat meeting against the Golden Wolves next Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in Reading, Pa.
