Men’s Volleyball Notches First-Ever Win Over Nichols, Prevails 3-1 in Season-Opener
QUINCY, Mass.- Returning to the court for the first time in 366 days, the Eastern Nazarene College men's volleyball team defeated Nichols 3-1 for the first time in program history Friday evening at the Lahue Athletic Center in the first match of the 2021 campaign.
The Lions improve to 1-0 on the year and 1-0 in the New England Collegiate Conference with the win. The Bison slip to 0-1 overall and 0-1 in league action with the result.
Alejandro Garcia Fernandez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) racked up 16 kills, six service aces, five digs, and four blocks in his collegiate debut. Leonel Caceres (Newington, Conn.) posted 11 kills, nine assists, and seven digs in his first college match. Tim Eddings (Endicott, N.Y.) finished with nine kills and five digs while Chris Jaskiewicz (Oakdale, Conn.) registered seven blocks on the night. Christopher Gil (Lawrence, Mass.) dished out 25 assists and added six digs in his collegiate debut.
The guests grabbed a 1-0 edge in the match after claiming a closely-contested first set 25-23.
The home side answered with a hard-fought 26-24 win in the second frame, capped off by a combined block from Eddings and Jaskiewicz to knot the match at 1-1.
Eastern Nazarene posted a 25-20 victory in the third to snag a 2-1 advantage in the match.
The Lions secured the win with a 25-15 decision in the fourth set.
Collin Hunter paced Nichols with 10 kills while Nick Martin chipped in with 14 assists and Kevin Keohane recorded 12 assists.
Up next, Eastern Nazarene will trek to Nichols March 13.