(ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa.) – The Wilson men's volleyball team was back in action in a tri-match with Elizabethtown and St. Vincent, but came away empty handed as it fell to both teams in straight sets.
The Basics
Scores: Match 1 - Wilson 0, St. Vincent 3 (25-9, 25-22, 25-17)
Match 2 – Wilson 0, Elizabethtown 3 (25-20, 25-20, 25-22)
Venue: Thompson Gymnasium
Records: Wilson 0-5, St. Vincent 1-2, Elizabethtown 4-2
How It Happened (Match 1 vs. St. Vincent)
- The Bearcats got off to a quick start in the first set and didn't let up. Wilson was limited to just three kills in the set, but rebounded nicely during the second with 13. Back-to-back kills from Jacob McCoy (Jr., York, Pa. / Spring Grove) and Xavier Webber (Jr., Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East) gave Wilson its first lead at 9-8. They led by as many as four after another Webber swing made it 15-11. The Bearcats eventually rallied and used a 5-1 run to regain the lead. McCoy tied it temporarilty with a kill before St. Vincent scored seven of the next 11 for a 2-0 lead.
- St. Vincent rushed out to another big lead in the third with an 8-1 start. Trailing 12-4, Wilson mounted a comeback attempts with a 6-1 run. After St. Vincent scored three of the next four, the Phoenix got within two after a pair of McCoy Kills sandwiched around one from Satvik Sharma (FY, Hummelstown, Pa. / Hershey). That was the closest the Phoenix were able to get as the Bearcats didn't allow Wilson to score consecutive points the rest of the way.
How It Happened (Match 2 vs. Elizabethtown)
- Wilson benefitted from an early 5-0 run to take a 9-6 lead to start the first against the Blue Jays. A block by Sharma and McCoy put the Phoenix ahead during that stretch and was followed by a kill by Webber. A 12-3 run by the Blue Jays put them up 19-13, and although the Phoenix attempted to stay alive with a 4-0 stretch with a Webber kill and an ace from Vincent Natale (Jr., Mt. Airy, Md. / Linganore) the Blue Jays scored the next two to take a 1-0 lead.
- The second set was close throughout with neither team able to pull away. Wilson had an early 5-4 lead after a Jackson Wolfe (FY, Abbottstown, Pa. / New Oxford) kill, but Elizabethtown bounced back and never trailed again in the set. A Webber kill and a pair of Blue Jays errors made it a 15-14 game before Elizabethtown inched ahead once again en route to a 2-0 lead.
- Another close start followed in the third. Demetrius Simmons (Jr., Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Mechanicsburg) pounded out a kill for a 10-9 lead before the Blue Jays followed with five of the next six points. Wilson stayed within one as late as 20-19 after a Blue Jays error before the hosts closed it out the rest of the way.
Inside The Numbers
- Webber led the team with 16 kills overall on the day. They were evenly split between both matches while he added 10 digs.
- McCoy added 12 kills overall.
- Wolfe hit double-figures in the nightcap with 10 kills on 33 attempts for a hitting percentage of .212. He had six digs against Elizabethtown as well.
- Sharma finished with 34 assists on the day, 25 of which came against Elizabethtown.
- Camden Sterner (So., Spring Grove, Pa. / Spring Grove) added 16 digs on the day, 10 alone coming in the match with Elizabethtown.
Up Next
Wilson heads back on the road Tuesday with a trip to Penn State Altoona. First serve with the Nittany Lions is set for 7 p.m.
