HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The No. 8 Messiah Men's Volleyball team ended their season in the Elite Eight with a 3-0 loss to Wittenberg University on Saturday night. The Tigers put together a string of three victories against ranked opponents over the last three days to earn their spot in the Final Four. The Tigers used set scores of 25-22, 25-18, and 25-19 to earn the 3-0 victory. Jake Eby led the Falcons with 11 kills while Alex Kagoro and Tyler McConnell each adding 10. Brandon Sharp dished out 36 assists and Aidan Dunwoody tallied 11 digs.

With the loss, the Falcons conclude the 2025-26 season with a record of 26-5, finishing as the MAC Runner-Up and concluding their time in the NCAA Tournament in the Elite Eight.

First Set
The Falcons jumped to a 3-0 lead with a pair of kills from Tyler McConnell from Brandon Sharp and a kill from Jake Eby. Tyler Good found Alex Kagoro for a kill before Sharp found Kagoro for a 7-5 lead. A kill from Eby and error from the Tigers extended the lead to 9-6 before the Tigers notched the score at 9-9. The teams traded points with Sharp, McConnell, Kagoro, Todd Snyder, and Eby each tallying kills on way to a 14-13 lead. The Tigers took four straight to take a 19-16 lead. Brandon Sharp connected with Tyler McConnell for a pair of kills before kills for Snyder and Kagoro brought the score to 20-20. Wittenberg took a 23-20 lead before a kill from Alex Kagoro and an error from the Tigers brought the score to 24-22 in favor of the Tigers. Wittenberg took set one 25-22 to take a 1-0 match lead.

Second Set
Messiah earned the first point of the second set on a kill for Tyler McConnell from Brandon Sharp before Todd Snyder and Alex Kagoro added kills. The Tigers jumped to a 12-5 lead before a kill for McConnell. After the Tigers took a 13-6 lead, Messiah tallied four straight with kills from Todd Snyder and Tyler McConnell as they cut the deficit to three at 13-10. The Tigers tallied five straight to extend their lead to 18-10. Alex Kagoro and Tyler Good tallied kills before a pair for Jake Eby from Brandon Sharp brought the score to 20-15 in favor of Wittenberg. The Tigers took a 24-17 lead before securing the 25-18 set two win on a kill to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Third Set
The Falcons and Tigers traded the early points of the match with Brandon Sharp finding Jake Eby for a kill before the Tigers took a 4-1 lead. Wittenberg extended their lead to 9-4 before a pair of kills for Jake Eby and one for Tyler Good brought the score to 12-7 in favor of the Tigers. Tyler McConnell tallied a pair of kills and Alex Kagoro notched a kill to bring the score to 15-10 in favor of Wittenberg. Kagoro and Jake Eby tallied kills before Wittenberg took a 20-13 lead. Brandon Sharp found Eby for a pair of kills before a setter dump from Sharp brought the score to 21-16 in favor of the Tigers. Jake Eby and Alex Kagoro tallied kills before a service ace from Sharp brought the score to 23-19 in favor of the Tigers before a kill and service ace gave the Tigers the 25-19 set three win to take the match 3-0 and advance to the Final Four.

Stats
Jake Eby led the Falcons with 11 kills while Alex Kagoro and Tyler McConnell each adding 10. Brandon Sharp dished out 36 assists and Aidan Dunwoody tallied 11 digs.