GRANTHAM, Pa. – The No. 8 Messiah Men's Volleyball team hosted the No. 4 Juniata Eagles on Friday night for a national top ten match-up. The match-up proved to be a thrilling one as expected, with the teams battling point for point. Juniata took the 3-0 sweep with set scores of 26-24, 25-23, and 25-23. Alex Kagoro led all players with 13 kills while Tyler McConnell added seven. Aidan Dunwoody tallied nine digs while Todd Snyder notched six blocks.

The Falcons return to the court on Friday, Feb. 13 at 8:00 p.m. at Baldwin Wallace University.

First Set
The Falcons were off to a hot start in set one, scoring four straight with a pair of kills from Alex Kagoro and a kill for Tyler McConnell. Brandon Sharp found Kagoro and Todd Snyder to add two kills before a block from Kagoro and Jake Eby gave Messiah the 8-3 lead. A kill from Kagoro and block from Sharp and Eby brought the score to 11-7 in favor of Messiah before a kill from Eby brought it to 12-8. The Eagles brought it within one at 12-11 behind three straight points. The Falcons answered with three of their own that included a kill for McConnell from Sharp and a solo block for Todd Snyder. Juniata scored five to notch the score 15-15 before taking a 17-16 lead. A pair of errors for the Eagles gave Messiah the lead back at 18-17 before a kill for Alex Kagoro extended the lead to 19-18. Three straight points for Juniata to take a 21-19 lead forced Messiah to take a timeout. Out of the timeout, Brandon Sharp connected with Jake Eby then Tyler McConnell to notch the score back at 21-21. Back-to-back blocks for the Eagles gave them the 23-21 lead before taking a 24-23 lead. Following a Juniata timeout, Tyler Good found Kagoro for a kill to tie the set 24-24 before a kill for Juniata and an error for the Falcons gave Juniata the 26-24 win and the 1-0 match lead.

Second Set
Messiah opened set two with a kill for Todd Snyder from Brandon Sharp before the Eagles notched a kill. Sharp then connected with Alex Kagoro for a pair of kills to take a 3-1 lead before the teams traded service errors. Juniata tied the set 4-4 with a pair of kills before another trade of service errors. The Falcons took an 8-6 lead behind a kill for Tyler Good, a block for Tyler McConnell and Jake Eby, and a service ace for Good. The Eagles earned four straight points to take a 9-8 lead. The teams traded points before a service error for Juniata and a block from Snyder and Kagoro gave Messiah the 11-10 lead. A second block for Kagoro and Snyder was followed by a solo block for Snyder as Messiah extended their lead to 13-11. The Eagles took a 16-14 lead with four straight, causing a Messiah timeout. Out of the timeout, the Falcons regained the lead with three straight behind a service error from the Eagles, a kill from Alex Kagoro, and a kill for Jake Eby on an overpass. The Falcons and Eagles traded points before the Eagles took a 21-19 lead with three straight. Sharp connected with Snyder then McConnell as the score shifted to 22-21 in favor of Juniata. Five straight service errors between the teams ended the second set 25-23 in favor of Juniata, who took a 2-0 match lead.

Third Set
The Falcons again opened the set with a kill for Todd Snyder from Brandon Sharp before Juniata scored a pair. A kill for Tyler Good and an error for the Eagles gave Messiah a 4-3 lead. The Falcons extended the lead with kills from Jake Eby and Tyler McConnell before Juniata tied the set 6-6. Alex Kagoro notched a kill, and Tyler McConnell and Todd Snyder combined for a block to bring the score to 9-9. The teams traded the next nine points, with Kagoro notching a pair of kills and Sharp and Eby combining for a block as the score notched 13-13. Juniata notched a kill before the Falcons collected three with a pair of kills for McConnell from Sharp before a solo block from Todd Snyder gave Messiah the 16-14 lead. Brandon Sharp hit an overpass for a kill to take a 17-15 lead before the Eagles notched it at 17-17. A kill from Alex Kagoro and an error from the Eagles gave Messiah the 19-17 lead. After the teams traded points, Juniata tied the set 20-20. A kill from Jake Eby gave Messiah the 22-21 lead before three straight points gave the Eagles a 24-22 lead. The teams traded service errors to end the set 25-23 in favor of Juniata, taking the match 3-0.

Stats
Alex Kagoro led all players with 13 kills while Tyler McConnell added seven. Brandon Sharp dished out 29 assists. Aidan Dunwoody tallied nine digs while Todd Snyder notched six blocks.

Up Next
The Falcons return to the court on Friday, Feb. 13 at 8:00 p.m. at Baldwin Wallace University.