CHESTER, Pa. - After a break of 12 days, the Messiah men's volleyball team picked up right where they left off, earning their 10th-straight victory with a 3-1 (25-11, 25-18, 18-25, 25-9) victory over the Widener Pride on Wednesday night. The victory was also Messiah's fifth-straight conference victory to begin the MAC regular season.
 
While Messiah did earn their 10th-straight victory, the Falcons did see their set streak snapped at an impressive mark of 29 after dropping the third set 25-18. It is the longest such streak in Messiah men's volleyball history, breaking their previous high of 12.
 
Mason Nissley was stellar on the outside with 14 kills on 18 attempts in just three sets played for a .778 hitting percentage. Nissley also picked up five service aces as the Falcons finished the night with 13 total, a top-three mark in a single match in program history.
 
With the victory, Messiah moves to 12-3 overall and 5-0 in the conference. The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Reading for a tri-match at Alvernia against the Golden Wolves (11:00 a.m.) and Drew University (1:00 p.m.)
 
How It Happened
The start of the opening set was a level battle with Messiah holding a slim, one-point lead at 8-7. The Falcons took a stranglehold on the set with a 12-1 run that was led by Mason Nissley with three-straight service aces and a pair of kills. The lead went to double-digits at 20-8 in favor of Messiah. After a kill from Widener, Messiah closed out the set with a 5-1 burst with Jacob Hamm finishing the set with a kill. The Falcons took the opening set 25-11.
 
The second set also started with a back-and-forth battle. Widener was the team on the front foot, leading 14-12 midway through the set, but once again it was a sizable Messiah run that put the Falcons in front. The Falcons went on an 8-1 streak to build a 20-15 advantage. Two Conner Stauffer service aces and a pair of kills from Ryan Givens helped fuel the streak. Widener pulled with four at 22-18, but the Falcons rattled off three-straight points to win the set 25-18. Nissley finishing the set for the Falcons by scoring the final two points on a kill and an ace.
 
Leading 2-0, Messiah was looking for their 10th-straight sweep heading into the third set. Messiah committed a few two many errors in the set and the Pride earned the 25-18 victory to extend the match to a fourth set.
 
Once in the fourth, Messiah put the pedal to the metal, jumping out to a 13-6 lead. After a point for the Pride, a 12-2 Messiah streak closed out the match and gave the Falcons a 25-9 victory in the set. Nate Bowman led the stretch thanks to a pair of kills and consecutive service aces to close out the match.
 
What's Up Next
With the victory, Messiah improves to 12-3 on the season and will be back in action on Saturday when they take on Alvernia and Drew in a tri-match at Alvernia. Messiah will start their day with a 11:00 a.m. match against Alvernia and later take on Drew at 1:00 p.m.