GRANTHAM, Pa. - On Thursday night, the No. 4 California Lutheran Kingsmen defeated the No. 16 Messiah men's volleyball on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena by a 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-14) final score. The Falcons held a 20-15 lead late in the opening set, but the Kingsmen shook off some early jet lag and rattled off a 10-3 run to close out the set by a 25-23 final. Another big run in the second set by the Kingsmen gave them the set 25-19. California Lutheran controlled the third and final set, claiming the sweep.
 
For the Falcons, Alex Kagoro led the way with nine kills while Brandon Sharp dished out 16 assists. For the Kingsmen, Jordan Cooper had a strong night, finishing the match with 14 kills and eight aces.
 
The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Union, N.J. for the Kean Invitational, taking on Kean (11:00 a.m.) and Randolph-Macon (1:30 p.m.).

How It Happened
The Falcons looked to have control of the opening set, holding a 20-15 lead late in the game. Messiah built their lead on the back of Conner Stauffer, who collected five kills during the opening stretch. With the Falcons holding a five-point lead, three-straight kills from Jordan Cooper pulled the Kingsmen within two at 20-18. A service error momentarily broke up the California Lutheran streak, but the Kingsmen quickly scored four more points to take the lead at 22-21. Kills from Jacob Hamm and Ryan Givens were sandwiched around a Messiah service error to tie the set at 23-23. California Lutheran won the final two points with a kill and a Messiah error to take the set 25-23.
 
The second set was defined by runs. The Falcons had the first big run of the set, rattling off a 5-1 advantage to take a 6-4 lead. The Kingsmen took the lead back at 10-8 thanks to a 6-2 run directly after the Falcons strong play. Four-straight Faclons' points put the home team in the driver's seat at 12-10 following a kill from Alex Kagoro. Just a few points later a kill from Jordan Cooper started a 13-4 California Lutheran run that took it from a 13-11 Messiah lead to set point for the Kingsmen at 24-17. While the Falcons fought off set point on two occasions, California Lutheran took the set with a Messiah service error by a score of 25-19.
 
A 10-2 run to start the third set put the Kingsmen out in front and they never looked back. California Lutheran steadily built their lead across the set, eventually winning by a 25-15 final.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to New Jersey to take on Kean at 11:00 a.m. and Randolph-Macon at 1:30 p.m.