OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The eleventh ranked Stevenson men's volleyball team (18-9, 8-3 MAC) concluded the 2022 regular season with a pair of 3-0 victorys on Senior Day over Eastern (8-13, 4-9 MAC) and Wilkes (9-22, 1-12 MAC) Saturday afternoon at Owings Mills Gymnasium.

MATCH ONE 

Stevenson cruised to its 15th victory in straight sets this season, dispatching Eastern after settling in. The Mustangs rolled in set scores of 25-19, 25-11 and 25-11. 

Stevenson hit .380 as a team for the match, which included a blistering .560 hitting percentage in the second set. Tanner Stauffer smacked down a match-high 18 kills while hitting .483 with two assists, five digs and three block assists. Meanwhile, Aleks Melbardis notched 13 kills of his own and Justin Novoa passed out 35 assists. 

Eastern could not maintain its hot start as the Mustangs began to overpower the Eagles. Foster Lobb and Rodney Quarles combined for 12 kills on the afternoon for the visiting Eagles. 

Eastern opened up a 4-1 lead at the onset of the match, forcing an early Stevenson timeout. The Mustangs surrendered the ensuing point but rattled off the next six for a 7-5 lead, prompting an Eastern timeout after a Melbardis kill. The set remained tightly contested for large chunks with a trio of consecutive kills from Stauffer shifting momentum in favor of the hosts at 17-14. 

Later in the set, Stauffer got it done at the net with back-to-back blocks and Stevenson kept up the strong play with the final three points of the frame for a hard-fought 25-19 set triumph. Tyler Aiello placed down a kill and followed it up with a service ace before Aidan O'Brien capped the frame with his second kill of the afternoon. 

The Mustangs rolled off identical 25-11 set wins over the second and third frames to complete the sweep of the opening match. Melbardis vaulted Stevenson ahead 7-3 in the second set with a kill and the Mustangs used a 7-0 spurt later in the frame for the convincing set win. Elliot De La Torre, Melbardis and Stauffer anchored the Mustang attack with kills during the surge. 

Stevenson continued cruising with a 17-4 start to the third set, which included a run of nine consecutive points. The Mustangs continued their stellar offensive day with four kills and a service ace concluding the set at 25-11. Tyler Aiello finished off the match with a kill for the Mustangs, one of six with a kill in the contest for Stevenson. 

MATCH TWO 

Stevenson carried their momentum from the first match to the second for its 16th straight-set victory of the season, defeating Wilkes in straight sets. Set scores were 25-11, 25-11 and 25-16.

The Mustangs added 16 block assists and hit an impressive .368 as a team in the match, including .562 in the first frame. Tyler Aiello sent home a match-high and career-high 10 kills and hit an astounding .615. Justin Novoa dished out a match-high 16 assists.

Stevenson rattled off the first 9 points of the game and streaked to a 14-2 lead before Wilkes could add consecutive points. The two sides traded points to the 18-8 mark before Stevenson went on a four-point rally which included two aces from Tanner Stauffer and a block from the duo of Aleks Melbardis and Elliot De La Torre. The sides traded points for the final six points for the Mustangs to take the opening set 25-11.

Stevenson continued their charge into the second set jumping to a 7-2 adavantage when Tyler Aiello sent home a kill to cap off a four-point rally. Stevenson would add a six-point streak to take a 15-6 lead before Wilkes countered with a three-point rally.

The Mustangs returned to form, rattling off a 7-1 rally which included a solo block from Aiello, followed by a block assist from Tyler Aiello and Jack Hrvatin. Meklbardis sealed the set for the Mustangs with a service ace.

The final set was tightly contested through the early stages with Wilkes taking a 10-9 edge. The Mustangs utilized a 7-1 rally to take a 16-11 advantage capped by back-to-baclk block assists from the duo of Hrvatin and Melbardis and the pair of Hvratin and Aiello. The Mustangs finished the match on a 7-2 run with Kyle Dietrich adding an ace and Tim Flanagan adding a kill during the run. Stevenson won the final set 25-16.

NEWS AND NOTES 

• Stevenson rocketed down 46 kills in the victory against Eastern, the most in a three-set match this season for the Mustangs. 
• The Mustangs tallied 16 block assists and 26 digs in the win over Wilkes.
• Tyler Aiello notched a carerr-high 10 kills against Wilkes.

UP NEXT 

• Stevenson enters the upcoming MAC Tournament as the three seed. The Mustangs will visit second-seeded Messiah on Wednesday, April 6.