HOBOKEN, N.J. – The No. 2 Messiah Men's Volleyball team traveled to Stevens Institute to take on the No. 5 Ducks in a top five national and MAC powerhouse contest. The Ducks earned the 3-0 sweep with set scores of 25-16, 27-25, and 25-19. The Falcons and Ducks often played point-for-point, but the Ducks prevailed in the top five battle. Alex Kagoro led the Falcons with 17 kills while Tyler McConnell added seven. Jake Eby led the Falcons with five blocks while Kagoro added three. Aidan Dunwoody tallied seven digs while Brandon Sharp added five with 31 assists. Todd Snyder collected three service aces.

The Falcons return to the court on Wednesday, March 25 at 7:00 p.m. when they travel to Owings Mills, Md. to take on the Mustangs of Stevenson University.

First Set
Stevens jumped to a 4-1 lead with Brandon Sharp finding Tyler McConnell for a kill. A string of errors from the Ducks and kills from Todd Snyder and Alex Kagoro notched the score at 6-6. Tyler Good and McConnell added kills with a kill from Todd Snyder bringing the score to 11-9 in favor of Stevens. As Stevens took a 13-9 lead, Messiah took their first timeout. Kills from Alex Kagoro and Brandon Sharp brought the score to 17-12 in favor of the Ducks before Stevens extended their lead to 20-12, forcing a second Messiah timeout. Out of the break, Sharp found Jake Eby for the kill before Eby secured a solo block. Tyler McConnell notched a final kill before the Ducks took the 1-0 match lead with a 25-16 set one win.

Second Set
After a kill for Tyler McConnell from Brandon Sharp gave Messiah a 2-1 lead, the Ducks scored four straight to take a 5-2 lead. The teams traded points with Alex Kagoro notching a kill before the Ducks took an 8-4 lead. The Falcons notched the score at 8-8 with a kill from Todd Snyder, block from Alex Kagoro and Jake Eby, and a pair of service aces from Snyder. The Falcons and Ducks then traded points with Eby, Tyler Good, and Kagoro tallying kills as Messiah took a 12-11 lead. A solo block for Tyler McConnell and an error from the Ducks extended the lead to two at 14-12. A pair of kills and a solo block from Kagoro brough the score to 17-16 in favor of Messiah as Stevens took a timeout. Out of the break, Kagoro and Jake Eby combined for a block before Eby and Kagoro each tallied kills from Brandon Sharp for a 20-20 score. Messiah called a timeout as Stevens took a 22-20 lead. Out of the break, Sharp connected with Tyler McConnell for a kill and Kagoro for a pair to take a 23-22 lead, forcing a Stevens timeout. The teams traded points with Alex Kagoro tallying a pair of kills before the Ducks earned the 27-25 set two win to take a 2-0 match lead.

Third Set
The Ducks took a 5-2 lead in the third set before Brandon Sharp found Todd Snyder for a kill. Snyder then tallied a service ace and Jake Eby and Alex Kagoro added kills for a 6-5 Messiah lead. The teams traded points with Kagoro and Tyler McConnell notching kills with Stevens holding an 11-9 lead. A kill for Kagoro from McConnell cut the deficit to one before the teams began trading points. Kagoro tallied a pair of kills and a block from Jake Eby and Brandon Sharp brought the score to 18-17 in favor of Stevens. McConnell tallied a kill before Stevens took a 21-18 lead, forcing a Messiah timeout. Alex Kagoro tallied a kill before the Ducks took a 24-19 lead, forcing the second Messiah timeout. An error ended the set 25-19 in favor of Stevens, giving them the 3-0 sweep.

Stats
Alex Kagoro led the Falcons with 17 kills while Tyler McConnell added seven. Jake Eby led the Falcons with five blocks while Kagoro added three. Aidan Dunwoody tallied seven digs while Brandon Sharp added five with 31 assists. Todd Snyder collected three service aces.

Up Next
The Falcons return to the court on Wednesday, March 25 at 7:00 p.m. when they travel to Owings Mills, Md. to take on the Mustangs of Stevenson University.