GRANTHAM, Pa. - For the second time in a week, the No. 14 Messiah men's volleyball earned a key conference victory over a nationally-ranked Stevenson Mustangs team. On Tuesday night, Messiah earned a 3-1 (25-21, 10-25, 25-16, 25-15) victory over the No. 11 Mustangs to improve their winning streak to 16 matches. After a disappointing second set that saw them lose 25-10, Messiah hit .560 across the third and fourth sets to clinch the match with set victories of 25-16 and 25-15.
 
Mason Nissley led all players with 18 kills while Nate Bowman picked up 13 kills on a .524 hitting percentage. Matt Knab dished out 37 assists while facilitating the Falcons' offense.
 
With the victory, the Falcons improve to 10-0 in the conference and 18-3 overall. The win locks up at least the two seed with a match against Stevens looming on Saturday that will most likely decide the top seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament. Messiah has a quick turnaround as they will face Widener in their final regular season home match on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.
 
How It Happened
The Falcons opened their Wednesday match against the Mustangs on the front foot. Messiah jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first set and never trailed in the set. The Mustangs tied the set on six occasions, but Messiah was always able to counter and take the lead back. Midway through the set, Stevenson tied the match at 15-15, but a key 5-1 Messiah run gave the Falcons a 20-16 lead. Mason Nissley powered the run with three kills. From there, the Falcons did not allow the Stevenson within two points and earned the set by a score of 25-21.
 
Despite holding the early momentum, Messiah was not able to keep the second set close as Stevenson ran off with the set by a score of 25-10. The Falcons struggled to find their groove in the set, committing nine errors and collecting just three kills as a team.
 
With the match tied 1-1, Messiah showed that they have a short memory, responding with two of the better sets of the season. In the third set, the Falcons hit .480 with 16 kills and just four errors. The set was tight midway through, with the Falcons holding a slim 11-10 lead. A quick 4-0 Messiah run, with kills from Conner Stauffer and Ryan Givens, gave Messiah a bit of separation at 15-10. After the Mustangs pulled with three at 17-14, the Falcons scored eight of the last 10 points to take the set 25-16. Ryan Givens scored two of the final three points of the set with big kills to help give the Falcons a 2-1 lead.
 
In the third, Messiah swung at an ever better clip, putting up 17 kills on just 25 swings with one error for a .640 hitting percentage. With Matt Knab serving, Messiah scored five-straight points to open the set with two Knab aces, a pair of Nate Bowman kills, and a kill from Mason Nissley. Messiah steadily built their lead throughout the remainder of the set, leading by as many as 10 at 22-12 en route to the 25-15 set victory.
 
What's Up Next
With the victory, Messiah clinches at least the two seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament that takes place next week. The Falcons have now won 16-straight matches and hold a perfect, 10-0 record in the conference. Messiah is back in action tomorrow night when they host the Widener Pride on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena at 7:00 p.m. for Senior Day.