SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – One day after outlasting the Mount Union Purple Raiders in five sets, the No. 9 Messiah men's volleyball team had a little less stress in their match on Friday afternoon. The Falcons earned a dominating 3-0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-23) victory over the Mount St. Joseph's Lions on Day One of the Whittenberg Tournament. The Falcons hit at a .304 clip in the match.
As a team, Messiah was in control from the start, taking the first two sets by identical scores of 25-12. Individually,
Adam Casper led the Falcons with 10 kills on just 13 swings for a .692 hitting percentage.
Jacob Hamm also finished the match with 10 kills while
Matt Knab played just the first two sets and dished out 17 assists while picking up five service aces.
The Falcons face a stiff test tomorrow with two matches to cap off their Ohio swing. The day begins with a 10:00 a.m. match against Aroura University before finishing with No. 1 Carthage at 2:00 p.m.
How It Happened
The Falcons jumped out to a stellar start, hitting .615 in the opening set en route to a commanding 25-12 victory. Messiah needed just 12 total attacks in the set to register nine kills and claim the 1-0 lead. The Falcons had four aces in the opening set and rattled off a runs of 5-1 and 9-1 to put the first set out of reach early.
The second set featured more of the same, with Messiah taking a slim 8-7 lead and busting the set open with an 11-1 run with
Matt Knab serving. During the set-changing run, Knab picked up a trio of aces and the Falcons offense registered two kills from both
Adam Casper and
Jacob Hamm. The Falcons coasted in for their second-straight 25-12 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
With a 2-0 lead, Messiah took advantage of the lead and got most everyone on the roster into the match. The Falcons were in control of most of the set, but the Lions went on a 6-0 run late to take the lead at 21-20. The Falcons later trailed 23-22, but claimed three-straight points to win the set, 25-23, and the match 3-0.
Zac Barbato started the late burst with a kill before consecutive blocks closed out the match.
What's Up Next
With the victory Messiah improves to 3-0 on the young season. As mentioned, Messiah will be back in action on Saturday when they take on the Aurora Spartans and the No. 1 Carthage Firebirds. Messiah and Aurora will play at 10:00 a.m. before the Falcons and Firebirds square off at 2:00 p.m. to conclude Messiah's Ohio trip.
