Men’s Volleyball Defeats SUNY Poly, Falls at No. 1 Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.- After beginning the day with a 3-0 win over Northern Vermont-Johnson at home, the Eastern Nazarene College men's volleyball team earned a hard-fought 3-1 victory over SUNY Poly before falling to top-ranked Springfield Saturday evening in a non-conference tri-match.

The Lions progress to 11-11 on the season with the outcomes. The Wildcats dip to 9-14 overall while the Pride, ranked No. 1 in the AVCA National Coaches Poll, improves to 22-1 on the year.

Alejandro Garcia Fernandez (San Juan, P.R.) posted 34 kills, nine digs, and three service aces in the two matches. Jacob Zarges (Quincy, Mass.) collected 11 kills and 15 digs. Delfy Soler (Lawrence, Mass.) chipped in with seven kills, nine digs, and three aces. Aaron Huang (Quincy, Mass.) finished with 42 assists, nine digs, and three kills while Fernando Paredes (Passaic, N.J.) registered 16 digs.

In its first match of the evening at Blake Arena, Eastern Nazarene downed SUNY Poly 3-1 in a non-league matchup.

The Lions captured the opening set 25-23 before doubling their advantage to 2-0 with a 25-22 win in the second frame.

The Wildcats triumphed 25-23 in the third to narrow the margin to 2-1.

Eastern Nazarene prevailed 25-23 in the fourth set to lock up its second victory of the season over SUNY Poly.

In their third and final tilt of the day, Eastern Nazarene fell to No. 1 Springfield 3-0 in the first-ever clash between the two teams.

The Pride claimed the first set 25-16 to construct a 1-0 edge.

Springfield cruised to a 25-13 victory in the second set to widen the margin to 2-0.

The hosts capped off their ninth-straight win with a 25-18 decision in the third.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene steps out of conference to visit Lasell March 29.