POTSDAM, N.Y. (1/11/23) – To officially strike into the 2024 season, the Nichols College men's volleyball team made their way up to Potsdam, New York for a pair of non-conference matchups on Thursday night. In the evening opener, the Bison collected a three-set sweep (25-14, 25-13, 25-15) over Wells College, and then closed it out with a gritty four-set triumph (20-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-23) over Hobart College at host SUNY-Potsdam and the Maxcy Fieldhouse.
The Bison open the new season at 2-0 following the pair of wins. Wells drops to 0-2 and Hobart to 1-1 overall with the respective losses.
Game #1 vs Wells College
In his Nichols debut, graduate
Jack Normandin led the Bison on the offensive side of the ball with 10 kills on 17 attempts, finishing the effort with a .471 hitting percentage and tying for the team lead in digs with four. Additionally making his first appearance on the floor, freshman
Bryce Bonville chalked-up nine kills for a match-high .617 hitting percentage, as well as a pair of service aces. As a group, the Bison hit .361 and combined for nine aces off the serve.
The opening set began as a very close game that the Bison were eventually able to take control of. With a 10-7 lead in hand, Nichols pieced together an 8-1 run to stretch their lead out to 18-8, which included a pair of service aces from Mercado. A tight defensive effort helped Nichols maintain the momentum the rest of the way, leading to a 25-14 win in the frame.
The second set had a similar feel at the start but took less time for the Bison to establish dominance. From a 2-1 Wells lead, the Bison went on to outscore the Express 10-2 behind two kills apiece from
Tanner Soracco and Normandin, as well as a pair of service aces from Bonville to make it an 11-4 set. The Express received a slight boost off some miscues by the Bison but failed to gain any offensive traction as the Bison lead eventually grew to as much as 11 points at 20-9. The Bison went on to win the set by a 25-13 score, securing their second point on a final kill by Normandin.
The third and final set again started out close, but eventually gave way to a flood of Bison points. A 6-2 run midway through the set gave the Bison a 16-9 advantage over the Express, which ultimately proved to be enough down the stretch. Despite Wells scoring their highest point total on the night with 15, Nichols was able to finish the job by a 10-point difference, completing the sweep on a final Normandin service ace to win 25-15.
Game #2 vs Hobart College
In the Thursday closer,
Jack Normandin again led the Bison with 14 kills while also drawing even with senior
Nick Martin for the team lead in digs with seven. Fellow senior
Tanner Soracco also chipped in with 13 kills and a .375 hitting percentage, along with six digs and two block assists. Junior
Dylan Knapp registered the highest hitting percentage against the Statesmen, clocking in at an even .400 (8-for-15).
The Statesmen took the early lead with a 25-20 victory in the opening set but then found themselves caught in a fierce battle with the Bison in the second. In a set that saw an astonishing 15 ties, the turning point came late when a pair of Hobart attack errors gave the Bison a two-point edge. Nichols went on to win the set 25-23, tying the match at 1-1.
The fierce competition continued into the third set, with the largest lead belonging to Nichols at three points. With Hobart leading 16-15, the Bison went on to outscore the Statesmen by a 10-4 margin to close out the set, including a 5-1 run that saw five kills from five separate players. As a result, the Bison then claimed the third set 25-20 to take a 2-1 lead.
In what would be the final frame, the Bison played heartbreaker against the Statesmen. Hobart started well and built an early four-point lead at 11-7 but failed to shake a Nichols team who had no intention of playing a fifth set. Down the stretch, Hobart remained in the lead up to a 23-19 score, but then witnessed the Bison commit robbery by scoring five-straight points to the fourth set by a 25-23 final.
The Bison will stay put and face SUNY-Potsdam (1-1) tomorrow afternoon (1/12) for their first New England Volleyball Conference test of the season, with first serve scheduled for 2:00 PM.
