GRANTHAM, Pa. – The No. 14 Messiah men's volleyball team opened the 2024 season with a 3-0 (25-19, 28-26, 25-21) sweep of the visiting Drew Rangers on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons used a team effort with at least half a dozen kills from three different players. Messiah was led by eight kills from both Jacob Hamm and Ryan Givens.
 
The Falcons finished the match with a .280 hitting percentage while holding the Rangers to a .029 hitting percentage. Messiah's defense picked up seven blocks in the match.
 
With the victory, Messiah begins the season with a win for the third time in program history. The Falcons will be back in action on Friday when they take on the No. 5 Juniata Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena to kick off the Messiah Invitational.
 
Falcons Handle Rangers
The Falcons controlled much of Saturday's match with the brief exception of set two of their three-set sweep. Messiah started the season with Alex Kagoro and Ryan Givens combining for a block on the opening point. The Falcons used the early momentum to quickly jump out to a 6-1 lead. Drew closed the gap in the middle of the set, but the Falcons rattled off a 9-2 run to take a 22-15 lead. Just a few points later, Sean Gillespie put down a kill to give the Falcons the set 25-19.
 
The second set would be a touch closer, with the Falcons needing a few extra points to secure a 2-0 lead. The Falcons actually trailed 21-18, following back-to-back Drew aces late in the set. Messiah went on a 6-2 run that gave them a 24-23 lead. Service aces from Alex Kagoro and Ryan Givens fueled the run and helped the Falcons take the lead. After the two sides traded the next six points, Messiah scored back-to-back points from a Kagoro kill and a bad set from Drew to claim the set, 28-26.
 
In the third, Messiah steadily built their lead throughout the early portion of the set, forcing a Drew timeout at 16-11. Another timeout came with the Falcons in front 21-14, just points away from sealing the sweep. Despite five-straight points from Drew, Messiah held strong with a kill that looked to touch the 10-foot line from Jacob Hamm to cap off the match. Messiah won the set 25-21 and swept the Rangers to begin the campaign.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will host the Messiah Invitational next weekend with five matches being played on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena. The action starts on Friday night when No. 5 Juniata comes to town for a 7:00 p.m. match. The Falcons will also play No. 9 Vassar on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.