GRANTHAM, PA - The Messiah men's volleyball team took care of the Immaculata Mighty Macs 3-0 (25-8, 25-10, 25-16) on Thursday night, setting new program records for hitting percentage and service aces in a single match in the process. The Falcons hit an astounding .685 on the night, tallying 41 kills on just 54 swings against four errors. That mark is the sixth-highest hitting percentage ever in a three set match in Division III history.
 
Messiah recorded 17 service aces in a match that lasted just 52 minutes.
 
Previously the program record for hitting percentage stood at .441 in a three-set sweep of the Misericordia Cougars on Feb. 3, 2018. Messiah hit .244 points higher this evening, with no Falcon finishing the night with more that 10 attempts.
 
The Falcons will look to continue their momentum on Feb. 8, when the host the King's College Monarchs in their first conference match of the year at 7:30 p.m. on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.
 
How It Happened
The Falcons did not commit an error in the opening set, hitting .762 with 16 kills on 21 swings. Ryan Givens led the way in the set with six kills on six swings. Matt Knab dished out 12 assists in the set as the Falcons stormed their way out to a 7-1 lead before taking the set 25-8.
 
The second set followed a similar script with the Falcons taking advantage of a stodgy Mighty Mac defense. While Messiah did commit their first attack error of the night, picking up two in the set, they still managed to hit at a .714 clip with 12 kills on 14 swings. Messiah connected on six service aces in the set, including three in a row from Christian Wolf.
 
The Mighty Macs hung around in the third set, trailing by two at 9-7, but a quick 6-1 Messiah run pushed the Falcons in front. Messiah held a lead of at least five for the rest of the set, claiming the third set by a 25-16 final.
 
Inside the Numbers
As a team, Messiah had 11 different players pick up a kill as they hit .685 on the night. As mentioned, that .685 hitting percentage is a new program high. Conner Stauffer and Adam Casper led the Falcons with seven kills while Zac Barbato and Ryan Givens each finished with six. Matt Knab and Jared Keul shared the setting duties with Knab dishing out 12 in the first set and Keul finishing with 19 in the match.
 
Keul also added four service aces in the match, tied with Christian Wolf for the team lead. Messiah ended the night with 17 service aces, also a new program record. Their previous high was 14 against Mount St. Vincent on Jan. 25, 2020.
 
While Messiah only picked up on block on the night, they held the Mighty Macs to just six kills as a team. Immaculata hit -.100 on the evening.
 
What's Up Next
After the complete performance, Messiah moves to 3-3 on the season and will be back in action on Tuesday when they hose the King's College Monarchs at 7:30 p.m. on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena. Tuesday's match will mark the start of the conference slate for the Falcons as they look to repeat as MAC Champions.