Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – The 11th-ranked Stevenson men's volleyball team (18-9, 8-3 MAC) did fell to the 14th-ranked Messiah Falcons (18-3, 10-0 MAC) Tuesday night at Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena in a match with MAC Conference Championship implications. Set scores were 21-15, 25-10, 16-25 and 15-25.
Messiah gained a lead early in the first set and would never relinquish their advantage. Ryan Thenell notched the frame at eight per side with a service ace while Tim Flanagan put up a block to tie the frame at 11 a-piece. The Mustangs would tie the score three more times in the opening set with a kill from Aidan O'Brien at the 12-12 point and a kill from Flanagan at the 15-15 mark.
Messiah would then embark on a 5-1 run to leverage a 16-20 lead. Tanner Stauffer and Tim Flanagan added kills to pull Stevenson within two of the Falcons at 19-21 but could not pull the momentum to overtake the Falcons. Messiah took the first set 21-15.
Stevenson gave no quarter in the second set, taking an 8-7 lead before sprinting to a 20-8 advantage on a 12-1 run. During the run Aleks Melbardis added two aces while Stauffer, O'Brien and Flanagan all notched kills and Tim Flanagan and Aidan O'Brien paired for a block.
The Mustangs continued their blitz by finishing the set on a 5-1 run which saw an ace from Tim Flanagan and blocks from the duo of Aidan O'Brien and Tanner Stauffer and the pair of Justin Novoa and Elliot De La Torre. Stevenson took the second set 25-10.
In the third set, the two sides battled through two tie scores and one lead change in the early stages of the frame before Messiah could jump to a 6-9 advantage on a three-point rally. The Falcons continued to hold the momentum, carrying their lead to a 10-15 advantage on a four-point rally.
Aidan O'Brien and Tanner Stauffer paired to block the Messiah attack to move the set to 12-15. The sides traded the next four points before Messiah could string together a three-point rally for a 14-20 lead. Aleks Melbardis stalled the Messiah momentum briefly with a kill at the 16-22 mark. The Falcons took the final three points of the set to win the frame 16-25.
The Falcons carried their momentum into the fourth set, hauling out to a 4-11 lead. The Mustangs were unable to string multiple points together, only halting the Messiah runs with kills from Tyler Aiello at the 7-12 mark and Ryan Thenell at the 10-17 point.
Messiah continued to carve their advantage, taking a 12-22 lead. The sides traded points to round out the frame with Aiello adding one final kills for the Mustangs. Messiah took the set 15-25.
Numbers and Notes
- Tanner Stauffer notched 10 kills for the 14th time this season.
- Aidan O'Brien tallied five block assists to tie the match-high in the category.
- Mason Scott added 10 digs, the 11th time he had double-digit digs this season.
What's Next
The Mustangs host Eastern and Wilkes during a tri-match this Saturday, April 2nd to celebrate Senior Day. The first match is against Eastern at 1pm while the second match against Wilkes is slated for 5pm.
