GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah men's volleyball team issued its seventh-straight sweep, besting visiting Alvernia University, 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-20), on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena on Saturday night. Mason Nissley recorded a match-high 17 kills in the victory as Ryan Givens delivered eight total blocks (2 solo, 2 assisted).
 
The win improved Messiah's 2022 overall record to 9-3 (4-0 MAC) as the team has now won 21-consecutive sets.
 
The two sides last met in the 2021 MAC Tournament Semifinals when the Falcons topped the Golden Wolves, 3-1, on Jordan Court.
 
Set 1 – Messiah, 25-20
Nissley recorded the first kill of the match for the Falcons, finding a hole in the middle of Alvernia's floor. With the score knotted up at 4-4, the two sides rallied back and forth, highlighted by an acrobatic dig from Luke Olson. The point ended in Messiah's favor with an emphatic block from Ryan Givens and Conner Stauffer. The Falcons kept rolling, earning an 8-6 lead following a service ace from Matt Knab.
 
Every point was hard-fought and filled with energy between the two sides in the opening set. The next 12 points of the set were split down the middle, 6-6. The Falcons led, 14-12, behind five kills from Nissley. Messiah and Alvernia continued to battle, throughout the set, eventually reaching a 19-19 stalemate. The Falcons claimed two of the next three points to take a 21-20 edge behind kills from Knab and a block from both Givens and Nissley. The block assist prompted an Alvernia timeout, but the timeout was unable to thwart the Messiah momentum. Following the timeout, the Falcons closed out the set, 25-20. Ending the set on a 5-0 scoring spurt, Nissley led the way for the Falcons in the opening set, recording nine kills on just 11 swings (.727%). In addition to Nissley's strong performance, Givens registered three block assists.
 
Set 2 – Messiah, 25-22
Messiah jumped out to a quick 2-0 advantage in the second set, using a kill from Nate Bowman and an Alvernia attack error to get off to a good start. The Golden Wolves answered with five-straight points to take a two-point advantage. Alvernia was in control, growing its lead to 9-6 before a block from Knab put the Falcons back on the board, 9-7.
 
Givens continued his strong defensive work in the second set. With the Falcons trailing, 15-12, Givens gave Messiah its second-consecutive point with a solo block. Givens then contributed a kill a few points later as his successful swing brought the Falcons back within a two-point deficit (17-15) once again. Alvernia built its lead to 20-16 before the Falcons came storming back, rattling off four-consecutive points, highlighted by a Knab service ace, to tie the score at 20-20. The Falcons emphatically closed out the set, scoring five of the set's final seven points. Stauffer registered two kills in the final five points as Nissley ended the set with a total of 14 kills, leading all players.
 
With the Game 2 victory, Messiah extended its set winning streak to 20.
 
Set 3 – Messiah, 25-20
Entering Game 3, the Falcons were just one good set away from its seventh-consecutive sweep. The two sides traded points in the early going, knotted up at 3-3. Messiah proceeded to go on a 5-2 run to create some separation from the Golden Wolves, leading 8-5. During the scoring run, Messiah took advantage of sloppy play from Alvernia, taking advantage of three-straight attacking errors.
The Falcons remained in control, extending their lead to 13-10. Messiah continued to keep the Golden Wolves at bay as Givens and Knab combined for a block to give the Falcons a 16-13 lead. A few points later, the strong defensive play continued as Knab recorded yet another block assists, this time pairing up with Bowman. Bowman issued a kill on the following point as Messiah was rolling with momentum, taking a 19-14 lead, causing Alvernia to burn a timeout.
 
Messiah rolled for the remainder of the set, holding off the Golden Wolves for a 25-20 decision in Game 3. The Falcons completed the Sweep of Alvernia, extending their winning streak to seven.
 
The Falcons had several notable contributors in the victory, most notably Nissley with his kills (17), Givens with his total blocks (eight), and Knab with his assists (30).
 
What's Next
The Falcons are back in action this Wednesday, Feb. 23, squaring off with Lancaster Bible College on the road at 7:00 p.m.