ALLIANCE, Ohio - The No. 9 Messiah men's volleyball team earned a five-set victory over the Mount Union Purple Raiders on Thursday night to begin their three-day sprint through Ohio. The Falcons won the opening set by a convincing 25-15 margin, but dropped the second and third sets to fall into a 2-1 hole. Messiah rebounded nicely with victories in the fourth and fifth sets to claim the 3-2 (25-15, 18-25, 14-25, 25-17, 15-9) victory over the Purple Raiders.
 
Nate Bowman was the most efficient hitter for the Falcons with a .545 hitting percentage on six kills. Bowman also added five total blocks, including four solo blocks. Mason Nissley finished the night with 25 kills, leading all players in the match. Matt Knab dished out 47 assists on the night while adding two aces.
 
The Falcons will continue their busy weekend on Friday when they take on Mount St. Joseph University on Friday evening at the Wittenberg Tournament in Springfield, Ohio. First serve is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
 
How It Happened
The Falcons were firing on all cylinders in the opening set with a .450 hitting percentage in a 25-15 opening-set victory. Messiah picked up a dozen kills in the set with a 6-0 run highlighting the action for the Falcons. During the 6-0 run that gave Messiah an 11-4 lead, four different Falcons collected kills with Alex Kagoro, Mason Nissley, Matt Knab, and Ryan Givens all contributing. Messiah never trailed in the set and rolled to the 25-15 victory.
 
Things went a little sideways for the Falcons in the second and third sets. The Falcons committed 23 attack errors across the two sets and hit at a -.069 clip while dropping the sets by scores of 25-18 and 25-14.
 
Trailing 2-1 heading into the fourth set, Messiah needed to right the ship. They did just that, building a 4-1 lead early in the set. While Mount Union rallied and took a 9-8 lead after a 5-1 run, Messiah jumped back in the driver's seat with a 5-1 run of their own just a few points later. The Purple Raiders pulled within two at 17-15, but Messiah closed out the set with an 8-2 run to take the fourth set 25-17 and force a decisive fifth set. In the fourth, Messiah hit at a .310 mark, putting down 13 kills and committing just four errors.
 
The fifth set started a little back and forth with Messiah holding a 5-3 lead after a kill from Mount Union. Mason Nissley, Nate Bowman, and Alex Kagoro were responsible for the next three points with kills from Nissley and Kagoro sandwiched around a solo block from Bowman. The quick burst put Messiah up 8-3. While Mount Union pulled within two points at 10-8, Messiah put the hammer down and won five of the final six points to clinch the set, 15-9, and the match, 3-2.
 
What's Up Next
The win improves the Falcons to 2-0 on the season and starts a tough Ohio trip off with a victory. Messiah will be back in action on Friday evening when they take on the Mount St. Joseph Lions at 4:00 p.m. on the campus of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.