CHESTER, Pa. - The No. 7 Messiah Men's Volleyball team earned a pair of victories on Saturday afternoon at the Widener Tri-Match. The Falcons first swept conference opponent Widener behind a rounded team effort with Alex Kagoro leading with 12 kills and Ryan Givens adding seven. In a four-set win over Baruch College, Tyler McConnell led the Falcons with 20 kills while Kagoro added 17 and Givens added 11.

The Falcons return to action Wednesday, March 26, when they host conference foe Misericordia for another NCAA Top 25 matchup within Middle Atlantic Conference play. Action is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m.

No. 7 Messiah University Falcons vs Widener University Pride: Messiah 3-0

First Set
The Falcons earned the first point of the match with a kill by Alex Kagoro from Brandon Sharp. Widener earned a pair of kills before a service error for the Pride and a service ace by Kagoro brought the score to 3-2 in favor of Messiah. Widener rattled off four straight points to take a 6-3 lead. Messiah brought the score even at 6-6 with a Pride error, kill by Tyler McConnell from Kagoro and a service ace for Todd Snyder. The score leveled out at 9-9 with kills for Ryan Givens and McConnell and a service ace for McConnell. Messiah held a 11-10 lead after a Todd Snyder kill on an overpass before Widener scored three straight to take back the lead at 13-11. Conner Stauffer connected with Brandon Sharp before Todd Snyder crushed an overpass to level the score once again. After trading points, the Pride gained three to take a 17-14 lead. The Falcons responded with three of their own behind kills from Givens and McConnell and an error by the Pride. After a Widener kill, Givens and Sharp each notched kills before a Widener error brought the score to 20-18. The score leveled at 20-20 with a pair of points for Widener before a kill by Givens. Widener earned their final point on a block before the Falcons earned four straight to take set one. A Pride error was followed by a kill for Kagoro off an overpass and Givens scored two straight aces to take the set 25-21.

Second Set
The Falcons used their momentum from the end of set one and started set two with five straight points. Alex Kagoro, Jacob Hamm, and Todd Snyder each notched a kill in the run. The score moved to 8-4 as Kagoro notched a kill and Todd Snyder earned a service ace. The teams traded points before Givens added another service ace, Brandon Sharp and Todd Snyder combined for a block, and Givens notched a second service ace in the run as the Falcons took a 14-6 lead. Kagoro added a pair of kills before the teams traded the next eight points. Brandon Sharp connected with Jacob Hamm for three kills in the series as Messiah took a 20-11 lead. Sharp connected with Givens and Alex Kagoro to bring the score to 22-13. Kagoro notched a kill before combining with Todd Snyder for a block as the score came to 24-13. Widener notched a kill before Sharp found Kagoro for the final point, giving the Falcons the 24-14 set win and 2-0 match lead.

Third Set
After the Pride took the first point, Alex Kagoro scored three straight kills on assists from Brandon Sharp, Conner Stauffer, and Tyler McConnell. After a service error, Sharp connected with McConnell to bring the score to 4-2. The Falcons scored five of the next seven with a service ace for Jonathan Nixon, a block by Sharp and Ryan Givens and a solo block by Givens to take a 9-5 lead. In a five point run for Messiah, McConnell, Givens, and Sharp each notched kills before a Pride error and an ace for McConnell extended the lead to 14-5. After trading points, a kill for Jacob Hamm from Conner Stauffer brought the score to 18-8. The Pride notched a kill before Cooper Henseler connected with Todd Snyder and a Widener error moved the score to 20-9. Widener notched a kill that was followed by a kill by McConnell from Henseler and an error by the Pride as the score moved to 22-10. The Pride scored a pair before Jonathan Nixon connected with Seth Rajnic for a kill. The teams traded the next four points as Nixon connected with Ethan Earhart for the final point with Messiah taking the 25-14 set win and 3-0 match win.

Match One Stats
Alex Kagoro led the Falcons with 12 kills while Ryan Givens added seven. Brandon Sharp dished out a team high 22 assists and nine digs. Givens added four service aces and two blocks to his stat line.

No. 7 Messiah University Falcons vs Baruch College Bearcats: Messiah 3-1

First Set
Baruch took a 9-2 lead before Conner Stauffer connected with Tyler McConnell for a kill before Jacob Hamm set McConnell for a second kill. A service ace for Todd Snyder brought the score to 9-5 in favor of the Bearcats. After trading a pair of kills each, McConnell had a service ace that brought the score to 11-8. After trading service errors, Baruch earned a kill and followed it with an error. A kill and block extended the Bearcats lead to 15-10. Brandon Sharp connected with Kagoro for a kill before McConnell and Snyder combined for a block. The teams traded points before Baruch scored three to extend their lead to 19-13. Tyler McConnell notched a kill before Sharp and Ryan Givens combined for a block. The teams traded points before a kill for Givens and a block by Snyder and Kagoro, bringing the score to 20-18. The Bearcats scored two before the Falcons scored a pair behind a kill by Kagoro and an ace by Brandon Sharp. The teams traded the next five points as the Bearcats took set one with a score of 25-22.

Second Set
After dropping the first point, Brandon Sharp connected with Jacob Hamm and Tyler McConnell for kills before Alex Kagoro notched a service ace to take a 3-1 lead. A Falcons error was followed by a Todd Snyder kill on an overpass. The teams traded service errors before Baruch took three straight points to take a 6-5 lead. Sharp connected with Ryan Givens to tie the set 6-6 before Baruch took a pair of points. The Falcons claimed three as Givens had a service ace sandwiched between two Bearcats' errors. Baruch earned a point before Messiah earned four straight with a kill by Todd Snyder, a pair of blocks, one from Kagoro and Snyder and one from Snyder and Hamm, and a kill for Conner Stauffer from Jacob Hamm, taking a 13-9 lead. Baruch scored three of the next four before the teams traded service errors, bringing the score to 15-13. Ryan Givens and Tyler McConnell each notched a kill before a Bearcats point. Givens then got a kill before Sharp and Givens combined for a block. Messiah took a 20-17 lead before earning five straight to end the set. Alex Kagoro used an overpass to pick up a kill before McConnell set Kagoro for another kill. Jacob Hamm secured a kill between a pair of errors for the Bearcats to take the 25-17 set win and tie the match 1-1.

Third Set
Using momentum gained at the end of set two, the Falcons took a 9-4 lead. Messiah started with a kill by Alex Kagoro from Jacob Hamm and an error from the Bearcats. Kagoro and Tyler McConnell both got kills before Ryan Givens and Brandon Sharp combined for a block. Kagoro added kills from Conner Stauffer and Sharp while Givens added a solo block. The Bearcats scored three before the teams traded the next four. McConnell and Kagoro each notched a kill as the Falcons took a 13-9 lead. Baruch scored one before a pair of kills for Ryan Givens and a kill for Tyler McConnell extended the Messiah lead to 16-10. Givens and Kagoro each picked up kills before the Falcons earned three straight with a kill from Brandon Sharp, and ace for Sharp, and a kill for Alex Kagoro that brought the score to 21-12. After a Bearcats kill, Sharp connected with Todd Snyder for a kill. Sharp then connected with McConnell before a Bearcats' error brought the score to 22-14. Tyler McConnell notched a kill before a Bearcats' error brought it to set point at 24-14. A pair of points for Baruch weren't enough as Sharp connected with Givens for the final point of the set, giving Messiah a 2-1 advantage in the match

Fourth Set
Baruch took a 3-2 lead with Tyler McConnell notching a pair of kills from Alex Kagoro and Brandon Sharp. Seth Graybill came in to serve for the Falcons as they scored three straight. Sharp notched a kill on an overpass from the Bearcats before Graybill connected with McConnell for a kill. Ryan Givens then took advantage of an overpass for his first kill of the set as Messiah took a 5-3 lead. Conner Stauffer then set Brandon Sharp for a kill before Givens and Todd Snyder secured kills and Sharp served an ace to bring the score to 9-7. A pair of points for Baruch brought the score to 9-9. A pair of Baruch errors followed by a block for Todd Snyder and Jacob Hamm and an ace from Alex Kagoro brought the Messiah lead to 13-9. McConnell and Snyder combined for a block after back-to-back Bearcats points. McConnell and Kagoro added kills before an error for the Bearcats and an ace from Ryan Givens brought the score to 18-15 in favor of the Falcons. After a pair of Falcon errors, the Bearcats found themselves within one. Alex Kagoro notched a kill before a Bearcats error to extend the advantage back to three at 20-17. The teams traded the next four points with Kagoro and McConnell each adding a kill before a Falcons' error brought the score to 22-20. Sharp connected with McConnell before a Bearcats error and then once again found him for the final point of the set, earning the 25-20 set victory and the 3-1 match win.

Match Two Stats
Tyler McConnell led the Falcons with 20 kills while Alex Kagoro added 17 and Ryan Givens added 11. Brandon Sharp dished out 37 assists and added a team high 10 digs and three service aces. Todd Snyder had six blocks for the Falcons. Conner Stauffer had six assists, six digs, and a kill.

Up Next
The Falcons return to action Wednesday, March 26, when they host conference foe Misericordia for another NCAA Top 25 matchup within Middle Atlantic Conference play. Action is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m.