(PHOENIXVILLE, Pa.) – It was a perfect day for the Wilson men's volleyball team as it swept Valley Forge in a pair of matches on Saturday afternoon. The first match opened up CSAC play for the Phoenix, but they made it count as they went the distance with the Patriots. The second contest was slated as a non-conference affair and Wilson was able to finish off the hosts in four.
The Basics
Scores: Match 1 – Wilson 3, Valley Forge 2 (24-26, 25-22, 25-16, 18-25, 15-13)
Match 2 – Wilson 3, Valley Forge 1 ( 25-23, 20-25, 25-10, 25-21)
Venue: The Pit
Records: Wilson 5-8, 1-0 CSAC; Valley Forge 5-7, 1-1 CSAC
How It Happened (Match 1)
- The opening set foreshadowed how the first match would go with both teams going back-and-forth exchanging leads throughout. A 3-0 run by the Phoenix gave them a 17-14 lead, the largest by either team in the opening set, but the Patriots bounced right back to tie it up with the next three points. Wilson then took a 23-21 lead and served for set point after a Jacob McCoy (Fy., York, Pa. / Spring Grove) kill made it 24-23, but the Patriots rallied for the next three points to take a 1-0 lead.
- The Phoenix jumped out of the gate in the second set with a 5-0 lead thanks to blocks from Xavier Webber (Fy., Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East), Jonathan Minnick (So., Dublin, Va. / New River CC), and Demetrius Simmons (Fy., Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Mechanicsburg) as well as a kill from Simmons. Another 5-0 run made it 16-9 in favor of the Phoenix thanks to kills and a block from Webber and Simmons. Valley Forge battled back to make it 23-21 in favor of Wilson, but Simmons was able to close it out and even the match with a pair of kills.
- Wilson was able to take a 2-1 lead in the third. A 6-1 run with a Saria Alshaikhali (Jr., Jeddah, Saudi Arabia / Hayfield) kill, a block by Simmons and Wyatt Tribett (So., Myersville, Md. / Middletown), and a Simmons kill helped put Wilson in front 12-7 early. The Phoenix eventually went up by double digits with a 5-0 run capped by another Simmons kill to put the score at 23-13 en route to the victory.
- Wilson started out a with a 5-3 lead in the fourth, but the Patriots recovered with a 9-1 run to take a 14-8 lead. The Phoenix closed within one at 15-14, but the Patriots didn't let them get any closer as they forced the fifth.
- The Phoenix started the fifth off hot with Simmons leading a 4-0 run with a kill. Valley Forge eventually came back to tie it at 12-all, but the Phoenix were able to close it out with a Webber kill, a block by McCoy and Minnick, and another Webber kill for three of the last four points.
How It Happened (Match 2)
- Another close set started off the nightcap as Valley Forge looked poised to take a set lead as a 3-0 run gave the hosts a 23-21 lead. The Phoenix were able to recover and comeback with the next four points on a service error, a block and kill from Webber, and a Patriots attacking error.
- The Patriots evened the match at 1-1 in the second, but Wilson came back in dominating fashion with its most impressive set in the third. The Phoenix didn't let Valley Forge score consecutive points until Wilson was already looking to score set point. Another Patriots error gave the Phoenix a 2-1 lead on a decisive 25-10 set win.
- The fourth was much tighter and saw the Patriots use a 6-0 run to take a 12-11 lead. Wilson eventually regained control with a 4-0 rally on a kill from Webber and three aces from Simmons. Valley Forge couldn't get any closer than two the rest of the way as Wilson took the sweep.
Inside The Numbers
- The Phoenix received heavy production out of both Simmons and Webber in the opening match as they lead all players with 15 kills each. For Simmons, it was a season-high in kills.
- Webber had the two best matches of the season in terms of successful hitting as he set a new season-best with a .303 hitting percentage before topping that with a mark of .345 in the second match.
- Webber recorded his fifth consecutive double double and sixth overall on the season with 10 digs in the opener.
- Alshaikhali had an impressive match in the second contest as he totaled nine kills on 14 attempts with just two errors for a hitting percentage of .500.
- Minnick set up the attack with 32 assists in the opener before following up with 25 in the second.
- Noah Wickenheiser (Sr., Cresco, Pa. / Notre Dame) led the team defensively on the receiving end between the two matches combined with 20 digs.
- Wilson was excellent serving again with 19 aces on the day. Simmons downed seven of them with six alone in the second match, while Alshaikhali also had seven with five in the first.
Up Next
Wilson will be back in action with a non-conference twin bill on Thursday against Olivet. First serve is currently set for 3 p.m.
