GRANTHAM, Pa. - Messiah men's volleyball is heading to the MAC Championship for the second-straight season after a 3-1 (28-30, 25-22, 25-19, 25-17) victory over the third-seeded Stevenson Mustangs in the semifinals on Wednesday night. Playing on Jordan Court in front of a raucous Hitchcock Arena crowd, the Falcons dropped the opening set against their rivals to the south by a score of 30-28. After committing 11 service errors in the opening set, Messiah rebounded by winning the next three sets to punch their ticket to the MAC Championship on Saturday.
 
Messiah will take on the top-seeded Stevens Ducks in Hoboken, N.J. with the 2022 MAC Championship and NCAA Tournament berth on the line. In the other MAC semifinal, the Ducks defeated the Arcadia Knights 3-1 to move into the Championship Match.
 
The Falcons will look to defend their Conference Championship from last season, avenge a five-set loss against Stevens from last weekend, and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season.
 
How It Happened
The Mustangs took advantage of 11 Messiah service errors in the opening set and needed all the help the Falcons gave them, edging the Falcons 30-28 in the set. Despite their struggles from the service line, Messiah nearly won the set thanks to a .394 hitting percentage in the game. The first set had just four lead changes but was tied on 21 different occasions.
 
Messiah rebounded nicely with a 25-22 victory in the second set. A quick 4-1 run got the set started with Mason Nissley picking up a kill and a service ace to get things started. Later in the set with Ryan Givens serving, Messiah rattled off six-straight points to take a commanding 13-5 lead. The Mustangs would not go away quietly, knotting things up at 19-19 and eventually taking a 21-20 lead thanks to a massive 8-2 run late in the set. A kill from Mason Nissley tied things up and started a 5-1 Messiah a run to end the set. Nissley would cap off the set with a service ace. The second set victory tied the match at 1-1.
 
Stevenson held the upper hand at the start of the third set, but after trailing 13-12 midway through the set, Messiah went on an 8-1 run to take control of the set. During the streak, Mason Nissley picked up three kills while Ryan Givens and Nate Bowman each earned one. The Falcons and Mustangs traded points the rest of the way as the Falcons took a 2-1 lead thanks to a 25-19 victory in the set.
 
In the fourth, Stevenson won the opening point. Messiah proceeded to win the next seven with Matt Knab serving to build an early 7-1 cushion. Knab picked up three aces during the run as Messiah took a six-point lead. That lead grew to as many as nine points later in the set at 22-13 as the Falcons cruised to the 25-17 set victory and the 3-1 win in the match.

Mason Nissley led all hitters with 19 kills on the evening, while Matt Knab dished out 48 assists in the four-set match. As a team, Messiah hit .354 in the match, their 14th match this season with a team hitting percentage north of .350.
 
What's Up Next
With the victory, Messiah will play in the second MAC Championship Match in as many years. The Falcons are the defending champions after defeating the Mustangs last year 3-2 in the Championship. The Falcons will head to Hoboken, N.J. on Saturday for a date with the top-seeded Stevens Ducks. Messiah and Stevens have met just one time this season with Stevens edging Messiah 3-2 this past Saturday.