Box Score OWINGS MILLS, Md. - In a matchup of the two remaining unbeaten teams in the Middle Atlantic Conference men's volleyball standings, host Stevenson swept 15th-ranked Messiah 3-0 Wednesday night at Owings Mills Gymnasium to take the top spot in the MAC standings. Set scores were 25-14, 25-23, 25-21.
- Stevenson (5-0, 5-0 MAC) took control with a 6-1 run capped by back-to-back kills by Logan Smiley to build an 11-6 lead.
- Messiah (6-1, 6-1) scored the next two points to pull within three.
- Four straight points capped by a kill by Elliot De La Torre extended the Mustang lead to 22-13.
- A Falcon attack error ended the first set.
- Stevenson hit .450 in the first set, while Messiah hit .148.
- The second set saw 16 ties and six lead changes.
- Messiah took a 21-19 lead on a block by Nate Bowman and Matt Knab.
- Back-to-back errors by the Falcons allowed Stevenson to tie the set.
- After a Mason Nissley kill put the guests up 22-21, back-to-back Smiley kills put the Mustangs back in front 23-22.
- A block by Messiah tied the set up 23-23, but a service error, followed by a Falcon setting error, gave the hosts a 2-0 advantage.
- The deciding set saw 10 ties and another six lead changes.
- The Falcons built an early 6-3 lead.
- With the set tied 9-9, a Tanner Stauffer kill, followed by a Messiah attack error and a block by Smiley and De La Torre, put the Mustangs in front 12-9.
- Trailing 16-13, Messiah reeled off four straight points to go up 17-16 on a block by Nissley and Wolf.
- Stevenson tied the set at 17, 18, 19 and 20, with the 20th point kicking off a 5-0 run to put the hosts up 24-20.
- A block by De La Torre and Grant Nelson kicked off the run, and a Smiley kill made it 23-20 before a Messiah error upped the lead to four.
- Nate Bowman staved off match point with a kill, but a Smiley kill ended the match.
- Stevenson hit .279 for the match while limiting Messiah to .196 hitting.
- Smiley paced Stevenson with 16 kills on .333 hitting.
- Stauffer and De La Torre each recorded six kills, with Stauffer also recording nine digs and a pair of blocks.
- Aidan O'Brien chipped in with five kills and two blocks.
- Nelson handed out 26 assists and added four blocks and six digs.
- Mason Scott and Derek Tangorra each notched eight digs, with Tangorra recording the only two Mustang service aces of the evening.
- Stevenson extended its home win streak to 16 matches dating back to 2019.
- Stevenson is set to return to action Saturday when it travels to Misericordia for a 1 pm Middle Atlantic Conference doubleheader.
