DALLAS, Pa. – The Messiah men's volleyball team suffered a tight, 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 29-27) setback against the Misericordia Cougars on Tuesday night in conference action. All three sets on the evening were decided by razor-thin margins. The Falcons looked poised to force a fourth set late in the third, but Misericordia fought off three set points and eventually took the set 29-27.
 
The loss drops the Falcons to 5-2 in the conference with just one more conference match remaining against Arcadia in the regular season. The Falcons and Knights will square off in Grantham at 7:00 p.m. in Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena on Wednesday, Apr. 3.
 
How It Happened
The Falcons started out hot, claiming a quick 5-2 lead in the opening set. After Misericordia used a 5-1 run to take a 7-6 lead, Messiah responded with a 6-2 streak of their own to snag the lead back at 12-9. During the run, Ryan Givens and Jacob Hamm collected kills while Zac Barbato and Alex Kagoro earned aces. Once again, the Cougars clawed back to tie the set at 14-14, but Messiah remained in the driver's seat with a 7-2 run boosting them to a 21-16 lead. Despite the five-point lead late in the set, the Falcons were unable to close out the set. Misericordia capped off the first set with a 9-2 run to steal the set 25-23 and take a 1-0 lead.
 
To a less extent than the opening set, Messiah held the upper hand in the second set. Looking to level the match, the Falcons held leads of 7-5, 9-6, 11-8, and 13-10 in the early going of the second set. The Cougars took a 17-15 lead following a 7-2 run in the middle of the set. After a kill from Antony DePalma, the Cougars' lead was extended to three points at 20-17. While the Falcons fought back with a 3-1 run that featured a kill from Ryan Givens, they were unable to get any closer than one point and eventually dropped the set 25-22. The second set was the Falcons' strongest hitting set of the night. As a team, Messiah collected 11 kills against just two errors for a .429 hitting percentage in the set, well ahead of Misericordia's .290%.
 
Midway through the third set, Messiah held a 12-10 lead over the Cougars following a kill from Jacob Hamm and a Cougars error. Misericordia rattled off six-straight points to take a 16-12 lead, claiming the momentum in the process. Messiah battled back, eventually taking a 22-21 lead on a Noah Aurdos service ace. Just a few points later, Jacob Hamm floored a kill to give Messiah set point at 24-23.  The Cougars fought off the set point and the two sides traded points until it was 26-25 in favor of the Falcons. Misericordia won four of the final five points to secure the set, 29-27, and complete the sweep of the match.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action next Wednesday when they host the Arcadia Knights to Grantham for a conference match that is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena. With a victory next week, the Falcons would clinch a spot in the upcoming MAC Tournament that is scheduled to begin on Apr. 9.