(CHAMBERSBURG, Pa.) – The Wilson men's volleyball team scored a big win and marked some revenge as it defeated Chatham in four sets on Tuesday evening. The Phoenix and Cougars met earlier this season in Pittsburgh with the Cougars taking a four-set victory, but this time the Blue and White flipped the script to take a nailbiter at home.
The Basics
Scores: Wilson 3, Chatham 1 (25-22, 24-26, 25-21, 25-23)
Venue: Gannett Memorial Field House
Records: Wilson 4-8, Chatham 4-11
How It Happened
- The opening set was a prime example of how the rest of the match would play out as it was close for the duration. It was so close that an early 6-3 lead for the Cougars was the largest of the set until a 5-0 run by Wilson gave the hosts a 20-16 lead. The Phoenix were able to play off that momentum and go up 23-17. Chatham avoided going down temporarily with a 5-0 run of its own, but a pair of Wyatt Tribett (So., Myersville, Md. / Middletown) kills gave the Blue and White a 1-0 lead.
- A kill from Saria Alshaikhali (Sr., Jeddah, Saudi Arabia / Hayfield), a block by Demetrius Simmons (So., Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Mechanicsburg) and Ryan Koontz (FY, York Haven, Pa. / Red Land), and another Tribett kill gave Wilson a 3-0 lead to start the second, but the Cougars answered with a 7-0 run to take control. A 7-0 run by the Phoenix eventually gave them the lead back at 15-14 which started a back and forth feud the rest of the set. It left Wilson with a chance to score game point after kills from Simmons and a Cougars error, but the visitors scored three-straight to win 26-24 and even the match.
- The Blue and White didn't let it damper them and stayed composed for the third. An early 5-1 run helped them take a 9-5 lead in the early moments thanks to a pair of Alshaikhali kills. It was a lead they held for the rest of the frame. Despite a late charge by Chatham which got within a pair at 22-20, Wilson used a trio of Cougar errors to go up 2-1.
- The fourth set started out just as close as the rest of the match to that point with teams evenly splitting the opening 22 points. That changed when Jacob McCoy (So., York, Pa. / Spring Grove) started a 5-0 run with a kill on an assist from Vincent Natale (So., Mt. Airy, Md. / Linganore). Ian Ruiz (Sr., Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico / Santa Maria del Camino) provided a pair of aces on the back end to take a 16-11 lead. Chatham got back to within one at 19-18 before a kill from Simmons and one from Tribett helped Wilson go up 22-18. Chatham rebounded once again to get back within one, but an Alshaikhali kill capped the night and gave Wilson the win.
Inside The Numbers
- A trio of Phoenix scored in double figures with Alshaikhalie leading the way with a double-double. He had 14 kills for co-match high honors and picked up 17 digs to lead all players
- Tribett and Simmons both recorded a dozen to also rank among the leaders. Tribett was highly effective doing so on 27 attempts and a hitting percentage of .333. Simmons was also highly effective up front defensively with five blocks, three of which were solo.
- Defensively Koontz and Camden Sterner (FY, Spring Grove, Pa. / Spring Grove) hit double-figures with a dozen digs.
- Setting up the offense once again was Natale who totaled 38 assists.
Up Next
Wilson will look to make it two-straight as it hosts Mount Aloysius on Thursday at 7 p.m.
