DALLAS, Pa. -- The 14^th-ranked Stevenson men's volleyball team (14-6, 5-0 MAC) continued their command of MAC play, dropping in 13 aces in a 3-0 sweep of King's (Pa.) (11-8, 1-6 MAC) and posting 44 kills in a 3-0 sweep over Misericordia (12-11, 3-4 MAC) Sunday afternoon at the Anderson Center. Set scores against King's were 25-15, 25-15 and 25-18 while set scores against Misericordia were 29-27, 25-21 and 25-21.

First Match vs King's (Pa.)

The first set against King's saw only three tie scores and one lead change as the Mustangs dominated the frame due in large part to a six point run to open a 6-14 margin. During the run, Elliot De La Torre deposited three kills while Tanner Stauffer added two kills and Ryan Thenell dropped in an ace. The Mustangs added another three-point rally and a four-point rally which saw two aces from Aleks Melbardis to open a 12-24 lead. Stevenson took the first frame by a score of 25-15.

An early five-point run in the second set was kept the momentum in Stevenson's favor with Tim Flanagan adding two service aces to open a 5-10 lead. Stevenson continued commanding the set, opening a 7-15 margin on the heels of kills from De La Torre and Stauffer and Justin Novoa dropping in an ace. Stevenson continued an impressive service performance with Tanner Stauffer and Minh Christensen each adding aces in the final stages of the set. The Mustangs won the set with a score of 25-15.

With only one lead change and one tie score, Stevenson nearly lead the third set wire-to-wire. Michael Dougherty aided the Mustangs in jumping to a 2-7 advantage with a service ace during a five-point run. The Mustangs an Monarchs traded points before a three-point run for Stevenson gave them a 10-16 lead. Neither side added more than two points back-to-back for the remainder of the set. Aidan O'Brien put down the final tally for Mustangs, giving them the set 25-18.

Second Match vs Misericordia

Stevenson and Misericordia battled through 20 tie scores and seven lead changed in the first set of the day's final match. The Mustangs gained an early advantage, but Misericordia responded with a four-point rally that was halted when Tim Flanagan sent home a kill. The two teams never allowed the other to get more than a three-point separation and would need extra points to settle the fate of the set.  The frame was settled when Tanner Stauffer sent home a kill followed by a block assist by Elliot De La Torre and Aleks Melbardis with a set score of 29-27

The second set was also tightly contested with 10 tie scores but only two lead changes. Stevenson turned out its largest run of the frame with a six-point streak to take a 17-13 advantage. The run included an ace from Michael Dougherty and two kills from Flanagan. The lead would be squandered when the Cougars knotted the score at 21 a-piece but the Mustangs rattled off the final four points with two kills each from Stauffer and Melbardis to win the frame 25-21. 

Stevenson continued to carry its momentum into the third frame taking a 7-2 lead on a six-point streak. Misericordia continued chipping away at the lead but was never able to string more than two consecutive points together and was unable to overcome the Mustangs lead. Tim Flanagan added his 15^th kill of the contest to secure the set and match for Stevenson with a score of 25-21.

Numbers and Notes:

• The Mustangs have won their last seven contests.
• Tanner Stauffer recorded 10 or more kills in 10 matches this season.
• Tim Flanagan lead Stevenson with 15 kills against Misericordia.
• Stevenson recorded 13 aces against King's (Pa.), the most in any contest this season.

What's Next

• Stevenson returns to Owings Mills Gymnasium to face Alvernia on March 16 at 7pm and Vassar on March 17 at 6pm.