XML Box Score ARLINGTON, Va. - The No. 6 Messiah men's volleyball team opened the 2022 season with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-11, 25-18) loss to the Marymount Saints on Wednesday night. The Falcons struggled to find their rhythm throughout the evening, hitting at a -.031 clip in the three set match.
Luke Olson led the offensive effort with seven kills and a .267 hitting percentage while
Matt Knab dished out 14 assists while picking up four kills as well.
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Messiah will be back in action this weekend when they take on Mount Union on Friday night and Southern Virginia on Saturday in Altoona, Pa.
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Tight Start, Saints Take Over
The Falcons and Saints battled back and forth for the first half of the opening set on Wednesday night. Messiah and Marymount were level at 11-11 midway through the first set of the season.
Luke Olson and
Ryan Givens led the Falcons during this stretch with three kills each.
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After Givens' third kill of the set, Messiah leveled the score at 11-11. A service error from the Falcons started a 5-0 Marymount run that quickly turned into a 9-2 streak. That Saints' run gave them a 20-13 lead. Marymount and Messiah split the final 10 points and the Saints' claimed the first set 25-18.
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Marymount Sweeps
The Saints won the first three points of the second set to take an early lead. Marymount took advantage of 11 Messiah errors in the set to cruise to the 25-11 victory. Messiah hit -.333 in the set, picking up just four kills.
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Heading to the third set, Marymount led 2-0. In the third set, Messiah put together their best offensive set with a 0.190 hitting percentage with nine kills and five errors. Unfortunately, it was not enough for the Falcons as Marymount used a 6-0 run in the middle of the set to open up a 13-6 lead.
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Facing match point at 24-14, Messiah put up a late fight with four-straight points with kills from
Matt Knab and
Luke Olson. Marymount held to win the set 25-18 and the match 3-0.
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What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action on Friday night when they head to Altoona, Pa. to take on the Mount Union Purple Raiders at 5:30 p.m. Messiah will wrap-up their weekend against the Southern Virginia Knights on Saturday also in Altoona at 12:30 p.m.
