(CHAMBERSBURG, Pa.) – Conference play started out on the right note for Wilson as it defeated Bryn Athyn on Saturday evening. The Phoenix received double-figures in kills from
Jacob McCoy (So., York, Pa. / Spring Grove), Saria Alshaikhali (Sr., Jeddah, Saudi Arabia / Hayfield), and
Demetrius Simmons (So., Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Mechanicsburg) while hitting over .300 as a team.
The Basics
Scores: Wilson 3, Bryn Athyn 0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-20)
Venue: Gannett Field House
Records: Wilson 6-11, 1-0 United East; 10-11, 0-4 United East
How It Happened
- Wilson came ready to play and jumped up early on the Lions with an early 8-4 lead after kills form Alshaikhali and McCoy. Although the Lions did battle back to tie the set, the Phoenix never trailed and started to pull away late. The attack was particularly strong down the stretch as Wilson scored the final five points on a pair of kills from both Simmons and Ryan Koontz (FY, York Haven, Pa. / Red Land) before an ace from Vincent Natale (So., Mt. Airy, Md. / Linganore).
- The momentum rolled into the second set with a 5-0 start for the Blue and White. Alshaikhali and McCoy added kills to make it 9-3 shortly after. Wilson kept pulling away as the set went on before Simmons gave the Phoenix the 2-0 lead on a kill.
- Another fast start saw the Phoenix take an 8-3 lead to start the third, but this time Bryn Athyn didn't go away quietly. Wilson always led, but the Lions kept it close and came within one at 15-14. Kills from Ian Ruiz (Sr., Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico / Santa Maria del Camino) followed by a Wyatt Tribett (So., Myersville, Md. / Middletown) block helped the Phoenix push ahead once more with a 21-16 advantage. The Lions were unable to recover as Tribett closed the match with a kill.
Inside The Numbers
- McCoy was masterful with a dozen kills with incredible efficiency. He did so on 19 attempts for a hitting percentage of .526. Simmons nearly matched him with 10 kills and a hitting percentage of .529.
- Alshaikhali added 11 kills and was a dig shy of a double-double to lead the team.
- Natale set up the attack with 34 assists.
Up Next
A rematch of last season's conference semifinals lies ahead for the Phoenix as they head to Lancaster Bible College on Wednesday. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
