HOBOKEN, N.J. - The Messiah men's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-20) match against the Stevens Ducks on Saturday night in the Middle Atlantic Conference Championship. Messiah held a late lead in the opening set, but could not close out the game allowing Stevens to clinch a 1-0 lead. From there, Stevens did not look back controlling the second set, 25-15, and capping off the Championship with a 25-20 victory in the third.
 
The Falcons advanced to the MAC Championship Match for the second time in program history after defeating Stevenson in the 2021 Championship last season. With the victory, Stevens advances to the NCAA Tournament by way of the Automatic Qualifier from the MAC. Messiah will have to wait and see if they have earned a coveted at-large bid to the Tournament, however the odds are extremely slim after the Falcons were not ranked in the Regional Rankings in the first three weeks. The NCAA Selection Show will air on ncaa.com on Monday, Apr. 11 at 10:00 a.m.
 
Messiah concludes a stellar 2022 campaign with an overall record of 20-6 and a MAC Runner-Up finish. The Falcons' 20 victories set a new program record for victories in a single season.
 
First Set - Stevens over Messiah, 25-23
The Ducks jumped out to an early 5-2 lead, but Messiah hung tough eventually taking an 8-7 lead thanks to four-straight points. The quick run was highlighted by kills from Jacob Hamm and Mason Nissley as well as a block from Jared Keul and Ryan Givens. Another four-point run later in the set gave Messiah a 14-12 lead.
 
The Ducks tied the set at 14-14 after a service error and a kill, but Messiah rattled off a 5-1 stretch to open up their largest lead of the set at 19-15. During the latest run, Mason Nissley picked up a pair of kills and another block from Jacob Hamm and Ryan Givens pushed the Falcons up by four. The Ducks swiftly responded with six of the next seven points to take the lead back at 21-20. A few points later, Ryan Givens and Mason Nissley collected back-to-back kills to give Messiah a one-point lead at 23-22.
 
It was not enough, as Stevens closed out the set with three-straight points on a kill, a block, and a Messiah ball handling error. Stevens took the first set 25-23.
 
Messiah was stellar at the net with six team blocks in the game, but Stevens hung tough to clinch the opening set.
 
Second Set - Stevens over Messiah, 25-15
Stevens rolled their momentum into the second set, winning the first five points of the game and forcing an early Messiah timeout. The Ducks continued to roll in the set, with seemingly every break going their way. In the set, Stevens hit .600 with 12 kills on 20 attempts with no errors. Messiah had their highest hitting percentage of the night in the set with a .292 mark, but it was the Ducks' set. Stevens claimed the set 25-15 to take a 2-0 lead into the third set.
 
Third Set - Stevens over Messiah, 25-20
Facing the same situation from last season's MAC Championship, Messiah was unable to make the magic happen for a second-straight season. The Falcons hung tough with the Ducks in the third, but every time the Falcons closed the gap, Stevens was able to extend their advantage.
 
Stevens took an early 4-1 lead. After Messiah responded to tie things up at 6-6, the Ducks countered with four-straight points to take a 10-6 lead. Messiah closed the gap to two after consecutive kills from Ryan Givens., but the Ducks went on a 5-1 run to build a 17-11 cushion. From there the Falcons did not go down quietly, scoring six of the next seven points to pull within one at 18-17. Mason Nissley led the push with two kills and two aces in a four-point stretch.
 
After Messiah and Stevens traded points, the Falcons still trailed by one at 20-19, but a 5-1 Ducks' run capped off the evening and gave Stevens the 2022 MAC Championship by a score of 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-20).
 
In the Box Score
Mason Nissley led the Falcons with 10 kills while Ryan Givens finished with seven kills and a .545 hitting percentage. Jacob Hamm also finished with seven kills while Nate Bowman and Conner Stauffer had identical stat lines with four kills and .182 hitting percentages.
 
Jared Keul dished out a team-high 29 assists.
 
As a team, the Falcons picked up seven blocks with six of those coming in the first set.
 
Concluding the Season
Despite being ranked nationally at No. 13 in the latest AVCA National Poll, Messiah is unlikely to receive an at-large bid to the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The Falcons were not ranked in the first three Regional Rankings.
 
If they do not earn a trip to the Tournament, Messiah caps off a stellar season with an overall record of 20-6 while setting a new program record for wins in a season. Additionally, the Falcons advanced to the MAC Championship Match for the second-straight season.