READING, Pa. – The Arcadia men's volleyball bounced back from a two set deficit to claim a 3-2 win over conference foe Alvernia Wednesday night. The Knights fell 25-18 in the first set and 26-24 in the second set before finishing the match with 25-21, 25-23 and 15-9 wins in the third, fourth and fifth sets.
FOR THE RECORD:
- The Scarlet and Grey moved 5-4 on the year and are off to a 2-0 start in MAC Commonwealth play.
- The Golden Wolves dropped to 4-5 and begin conference play at 0-1.
COACH SAYS:
- "I'm super proud of our guys tonight," said head coach Eli Porr. "They had a rough start, but were able to settle in. At the end of the second set we started to find our groove and from there they were able to handle things. We had a few guys coming in and out they did fantastic jobs; I'm proud of all 14 guys on the roster. This team is one of the best teams I've ever coached in terms of coachability and willingness to learn and want to be great. I'm very excited to continue this journey with them, the skies the limit and they are off to accomplish great things."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The hosts used a big run midway through the first set to take control, before outpacing the Knights in the second set to jump out to the 2-0 lead.
- The third set was back-and-forth at the start, before the Knights rattled off seven straight points to take a 10-6 lead. Arcadia kept its distance for much of the remainder of the set, until Alvernia claimed a one-point lead at 21-20. The Knights' immediate response was a set-ending five point run capped a kill from sophomore Jason Manley.
- The fourth set started much like the third, however the back-and-forth affair lasted the entirety of the game. With neither team gaining full control of the set, Arcadia pieced together a 5-1 run to go ahead 23-19, a lead they wouldn't surrender.
- The score was 8-5 when the teams switched sides in the fifth set. After the first half proved to be much like the previous two sets, the Knights outscored Alvernia 7-4 to cap the comeback.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Manley and classmate Edwin Waters Jr. led all players with 16 kills apiece with the latter hitting a match-high .444.
- Freshman Baily Quinn chipped in a dozen kills and totaled a match-best 14 digs.
- Freshman Anthony Devantier handed out 45 assists, the most of his young career.
- As a team, the Knight totaled 61 points on 51 kills, three aces and seven blocks.
NOTES:
- Waters Jr.'s kills and hitting percentage are both career-highs.
- Baily's 12 kills match a career-high while his 14 digs are a new career-best.
UP NEXT:
- Arcadia hosts the Knight Challenge Saturday and Sunday in Alumni Gym.
