(BRYN ATHYN, Pa.) – Xavier Webber (Fy., Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East) pounded out a season-high 20 kills as Wilson defeated Bryn Athyn in CSAC competition on Saturday evening. The win keeps the Phoenix unbeaten in league competition as they reach the midway point in the conference schedule.
The Basics
Score: Wilson 3, Bryn Athyn 1 (25-23, 25-22, 20-25, 25-13)
Venue: Asplundh Field House
Records: Wilson 7-11, 3-0 CSAC; Bryn Athyn 2-13, 1-3 CSAC
How It Happened
- The opening set was probably the most see-saw affair that Wilson has had this season. After evenly splitting the opening four points, the Phoenix pulled ahead slightly with a 4-0 run with kills from Saria Alshaikhali (Jr., Jeddah, Saudi Arabia / Hayfield) and Jacob McCoy (Fy., York, Pa. / Spring Grove). The Lions were able to respond and put together a 7-0 run to regain control with a 10-7 lead. Later in the set, another 4-0 Wilson rally with a Webber ace and Alshaikhali kill put the visitors back up 18-15, but yet again the Lions answered with the next five points to regain the lead at 20-18. A Vincent Natale (Fy., Mt. Airy, Md. / Linganore) kill evened things up at 21, and after the Lions scored the next point, Wilson was able to close out the set with four of the next five points bookended by a pair of Webber kills.
- Bryn Athyn looked to bounce back and jumped out to a 9-2 lead and forced head coach Aaron Hoke to call one of his time outs. A 5-0 run was able to get Wilson back in the game thanks to a pair of kills from Wyatt Tribett (Fy., Myersville, Md. / Middletown) and one from McCoy. Wilson remained behind, however, and wasn't able to take the lead until an 8-2 run put them up 16-14. Alshaikhali helped fuel the push with a pair of kills while the Phoenix also received scoring attacks from Victor Ortiz (Sr., Caguas, Puerto Rico / Ana G. Mendez), Webber, and Jonathan Minnick (So., Dublin, Va. / New River CC). The matched was tied a couple more times until a McCoy kill put Wilson up for good at 20-19. The Lions remained within one before Wilson took the 2-0 lead after a Demetrius Simmons (Fy., Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Mechanicsburg) kill and a pair of Lions errors.
- As back-and-forth as the first set was, the third set was even more with the teams being tied 10 times and exchanging leads six times. Unfortunately for the Phoenix, the hosts were the last ones to tie the set and then take the lead with three-straight points to go up 18-16. A Webber kill followed to get back within one, but it was the closest the Phoenix could get as they moved to a fourth set.
- As close as the third set was, the fourth was the exact opposite. Bryn Athyn scored the opening two points before Wilson responded with six of the next seven. Four of them came on kills with three from Webber. A 7-0 run later in the frame with kills from Webber, Simmons, and McCoy as well as a block by McCoy put Wilson up 15-5. Bryn Athyn couldn't get closer than seven the rest of the way and Wilson was able to close out the night with a kill from Minnick and an ace from Simmons.
Inside The Numbers
- Webber nearly outdid the entire Lions lineup as he finished with 20 kills on 42 attempts and a hitting percentage of .357. It's the ninth time he's reached double digits in kills. Bryn Athyn was limited to just 23 kills for the entire match.
- Alshaikhali hit double figures with 13 kills for the second consecutive match. It's the fourth time this season he's reached double figures in kills.
- Minnick set up a Wilson attack that hit .203 with 36 assists. He added four kills himself.
- Three Phoenix reached double figures in digs. Webber led the way with 12 of them to record his eighth double double of the season. Alshaikhali picked up 11 for his third double double and Minnick joined him with 11.
- With the win, Wilson now has recorded the second-most wins in its short program history. Only the 2017 team had more wins with eight.
For The Lions
- Teagan Dewees and Cevin Spencer led the Lions with five kills each. Jason Reyes and Dewees picked up 11 and 10 digs, respectively, to lead the receiving end.
Up Next
Wilson will be off until it meets the Lions again on Wednesday evening. For the Lions, they will play Immaculata before visiting Chambersburg. It will be Senior Night for the Phoenix with the opening serve set for 7.
