OWINGS MILLS, Md. - After playing their first 13 matches away from home the fourth-ranked Stevenson University men's volleyball team had its home opener by hosting a Middle Atlantic Conference tri-match against Wilkes University and Arcadia University on Saturday afternoon.  In the first match, the Mustangs hit .299 as a team and held the Colonels to -.134 in a 3-0 win.  Then in the nightcap, they took the first set before the Knights rallied to down the home side in four.

• Set scores were 25-14, 25-13, and 25-19.
• Stevenson (12-2, 2-0 MAC) got off to a strong start with kills aces by senior Landon Shorts and sophomore Drew Duquette along with kills for junior Nathan Bosse and sophomore Nate Reynolds to take a 6-1 lead.
• The Mustangs opened the advantage to out to seven 15-8 on a kill by freshman Tanner Stauffer.
• Wilkes (5-5, 1-1 MAC) closed the gap down to five 15-10 with back-to-back scores for Andrew Potter.  
• Stevenson outscored the Colonels 10-4 to close the set with kills from Stauffer, Reynolds, sophomore Garrett Weigel, and a final one for Shorts gave the first to the hosts 25-14.
• The second started out back and forth with the sides being locked at 7-7.
• A kill for Weigel sparked an 11-1 run for the home team aided by a kill from Stauffer coupled with some combination of Reynolds, Shorts, sophomore Aleks Melbardis, and Bosse accounting for four assisted blocks breaking the score open to 18-8.
• Cole Hefner picked up Wilkes final point of the set, before a Duquette ace and block assist by Weigel and Reynolds ended the frame 25-13.
• The Colonels began the third with a 4-2 edge with Potter supplying the only offensive score during that stretch.
• Reynolds and Shorts scored kills for the Mustangs during a 6-0 push to grab an 8-4 lead.
• Wilkes hung tough cutting the margin to one 14-13 after a bad serve for Duquette.
• However, kills for Weigel, Stauffer, and Reynolds capped a 9-2 run to go ahead 23-15.
• The visitors scored six of the next nine to get within 24-19, but a kill by Bosse ended the match 25-19.
• Stevenson hit .299 for the match to the Colonels -.134.
• The Mustangs had nine aces to the guests three.
• Reynolds led the way with nine kills and six blocks.
• Stauffer and Weigel each posted eight kills and combined for four blocks.
• Melbardis dished out 29 assists.
• Jones Mensah and Mark Piotrowski both had four kills to pace Wilkes.
• Daniel Sales had 12 assists.   

• Set scores were 22-25, 25-18, 25-23, and 25-21.
• The opening frame started out tight as the teams were locked at 10-10.  
• Arcadia (14-4, 4-0 MAC) got an assisted block by Anthony Devantier and Robie Moctezuma as well as two home attack errors to jump ahead 12-9.
• Stevenson (12-3, 2-1 MAC) rallied back with six of the next seven points on kills for Bosko, Gardner, and Shorts to regain the advantage 15-13.
• The Mustangs pushed the lead to four 24-20 on a kill by sophomore Logan Smiley.
• An assisted block for Jason Manley and Austin Braas made it 24-22 before a Dan Paraskevov serve error gave the first to the hosts 25-22.
• Again, to begin the second neither side could separate themselves in the early part of the set as it was tied 14-14.
• The remainder of the set the Knights took control as Shorts and Reynolds provided the only other kills for the hosts in a 25-18 setback.
• After falling behind 3-0 to start the third, the Mustangs stormed back with a Smiley kill, two Shorts service aces, and an assisted block for Bosko and Smiley which gave the home team a slim 5-3 edge.
• The set of runs continued with Arcadia answering back with a 6-2 run finished off by a pair of combination blocks between Manley and Moctezuma to nudge them ahead 9-7.
• A 4-0 gallop by the Mustangs was responded to by a 5-1 Knights charge kept the guests in front 14-12.
• Kills for Devantier, Quinn Baily, and Braas staked Arcadia to a 21-17 lead.
• However, the home side scored two kills from Shorts and a single off the hand of Reynolds to level the score 21-21.
• The teams split the next four points to stay tied at 23-23.
• Unfortunately for Stevenson consecutive kills for Manley ended the frame 25-23.
• The Mustangs took an early 9-6 lead on a bad serve for Baily to start the fourth but kills for Moctezuma and Paraskevov knotted the score 9-9.
• Manley, Reynolds, Smiley, and Braas recorded kills for their respective teams over the ensuing eight points to stay locked up at 13-13.
• Kills thanks to the arms of Reynolds and Shorts moved the hosts in front 16-14.
• Arcadia then embarked on a 7-0 run with scores from Moctezuma, Manley, and Devantier to take a 21-16 edge.
• A kill for Gardner and an ace by Shorts cut the deficit to two 22-20.
• Once again though the Mustangs could not overcome the score as Paraskevov and Manley recorded the final kills in a 25-21 win.
• Stevenson was held to a .094 hitting percentage, while Arcadia was at .214.
• The Knights had nine solo blocks and 22 assisted to the Mustangs three solo and 12 assisted.
• Shorts paced the home side with 16 kills, 11 digs, and five aces.
• Smiley had eight kills, six digs, two blocks, and a pair of aces.
• Manley led Arcadia totaling 16 kills, 14 digs, and seven blocks.
• Paraskevov and Braas each posted 11 kills and combined for 14 blocks.

• The loss against Arcadia was the first suffered in MAC play by the Mustangs.
• Stevenson is now 4-2 in matches against teams that are either in the AVCA Poll or have received votes.
• The .094 attack percentage against the Knights is the lowest of the season so far for the Mustangs.

• Stevenson returns to action on Friday, February 22 when they travel to Dallas, Pennsylvania for a tri-match versus Eastern University and the host Misericordia University.  The Mustangs will face the Eagles of Eastern at 6pm, before squaring off with the Cougars at 8pm.