ST. DAVIDS, Pa. – Facing another Goliath, the No. 5 Messiah men's volleyball team fell short against the No. 1 Stevens Ducks to begin a conference tri-match on Saturday evening. The Falcons fell, 3-1 (25-19, 25-23, 20-25, 25-21) against the top-ranked Ducks before taking care of the Eastern Eagles, 3-1 (25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 25-18) in the nightcap.
 
After their Saturday split, Messiah moves to 7-1 in the MAC and will be back in action on Wednesday when they host the Hood Blazers in their final home match of the regular season at 7:00 p.m. on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.
 
No. 1 Stevens defeats Messiah – 3-1 (25-19, 25-23, 20-25, 25-21)
This neutral site match had been circled on the calendar for many months as the Falcons and Ducks have been on a collision course through the Middle Atlantic Conference all season. Both held undefeated conference records prior to Saturday, but it was the Ducks that remain unblemished after the heavyweight tilt. Stevens earned the 3-1 victory after taking the first two sets and closing things out in the fourth.
 
Stevens was in control in the opening set, the Ducks used a 6-0 run early in the set to take a 9-3 lead. From there, Stevens and Messiah traded points with the Falcons unable to close the gap to less than five points the rest of the way as the Ducks took the set 25-19.
 
In the second, Messiah used a 9-3 run to create some separation, taking a 19-12 lead. The Ducks would fight back, tying the set at 21-21. Messiah would take a two-point lead at 23-21 after a pair of errors by the Ducks, but Stevens won the final four points to take the set 25-23 to build a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The Falcons quickly built a 10-6 lead early in the third set and from there, the two sides traded points and two-point runs. The result was a 25-20 victory for the Falcons in the set as they extended the match.
 
Stevens was in the driver's seat in the fourth set after a 13-5 run throughout the middle portion of the set gave them a 17-11 lead. Messiah hung around and pulled to within two points at 20-18 following a kill from Mason Nissley. After three Ducks' points, Messiah took the momentum back with three-straight points to make it a 23-21 game. The Ducks were aided by the low ceiling as the ensuing reception looked destined for the Falcons side of the floor. The ceiling kept the ball of the Ducks side and resulted in an unblocked kill. The match-clinching point was given to Stevens after a very close back-row attack was called against the Falcons. In the end the Ducks claimed the set 25-21 and the match, 3-1.
 
Mason Nissley led the Falcons in the match with 31 kills and a .421 hitting percentage. Matt Knab dished out 44 assists in the match. As a team, Messiah picked up nine service aces and hit .282 in the match. The Ducks swung at a .347 clip in the match.
 
Messiah defeats Eastern – 3-1 (25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 25-18)
The Falcons capped off their day with a 3-1 victory over the Eastern Eagles to move to 7-1 in the conference. Zac Barbato led the Falcons in the match with 15 kills and a .310 hitting percentage. Marcos Garcia dished out 40 assists in the match.
 
Messiah took the first two sets before dropping a tight third set. The Falcons rebounded well to take the fourth and final set by a 25-18 score to clinch the match.
 
As a team, Messiah hit .381 in the match while holding the Eagles to a .225 hitting percentage.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will host the Hood Blazers on Wednesday night in the final home match of the regular season. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.