Men’s Volleyball Stumbles at Nichols, 3-1

DUDLEY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College men's volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision at Nichols Friday evening.

The Lions sink to 10-9 on the season and 1-3 in the New England Collegiate Conference with the setback. The Bison improve to 12-8 overall and 3-0 in conference action with the result.

Alejandro Garcia Fernandez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) posted a match-high 21 kills to go with six aces. Delfy Soler (Lawrence, Mass.) notched 12 kills and 11 digs on the night. Matthew Mucha (Fresh Meadows, N.Y.) and Jacob Zarges (Quincy, Mass.) each chipped in with six kills. Aaron Huang (Quincy, Mass.) finished with 38 assists and eight digs.

The hosts claimed a 1-0 lead with a 25-20 win in the opening set before doubling their advantage to 2-0 with a 25-21 decision in the second.

Eastern Nazarene battled back to capture the third frame 25-21 to trim the margin to 2-1.

Nichols triumphed 25-23 in the fourth to clinch its fourth-straight victory.

Tanner Soracco paced the Bison with 17 kills in the match. Ray Wang tallied 13 kills and nine digs while Nick Lavrenchuk registered 12 kills.

Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene will take on an NCAA Division I team for the first time in program history as the Lions visit Sacred Heart March 22.