DUDLEY, Mass. (2/16/24) – The No. 14 Nichols College men's volleyball team claimed a point in the second set but came up short in their home opener against No. 1 Wentworth Institute of Technology on Friday night, losing by a score of 3-1 (17-25, 25-23, 17-25, 23-25) at the Nichols Athletic Center.

Nichols saw its seven-game win streak come to a screeching halt as the Bison fell to 13-2 (1-0 NEVC) overall on the season. The Leopards improved to 13-0 (3-0 GNAC) on the year with the win.

Graduate outside hitter Jack Normandin racked up a match-high 16 kills on .294 hitting, along with eight digs for 17 total points to lead the Bison in the effort. Fellow graduate Carlos Mercado dished out 38 assists, while senior Tanner Soracco and junior Dylan Knapp each added 11 kills apiece. Soracco, in addition to his kills output, secured a team-high nine digs on the night.

Nichols had a sluggish start to the evening, as the Leopards opened with a 9-1 lead. However, the Bison deficit was quickly cut back, as the hosts worked up their own 9-1 run to pull within three points of the Leopards, 16-13, with six of the points coming off of Wentworth errors. Despite the furious comeback, Wentworth followed up the Bison effort with another 8-1 run to bring the score to set point, before taking the win 25-17.

The hosts started out strong in the second set. Mercado set the pace with helpers on Nichols' first three points of the frame, before scoring a kill of his own to cap of what would be a 6-0 run for the Bison. Wentworth then battled back to tie the set at 10-10, but consecutive kills by Normandin helped the Bison shift back into the lead by a 14-10 margin. The rest of the way, the two teams alternated points ahead of a 23-23 tie, but two final kills by Knapp proved to be the difference maker for the Bison as they took their lone victory by a 25-23 score.

In the third frame, the Bison continued to put up a fight but found themselves in a pickle following a late 8-2 run by the Leopards, resulting in another 25-17 setback. Entering the fourth frame down in the match 2-1, the Bison turned a 16-12 deficit into a 18-17 lead by way of a 6-1 run, fueled by a trio of Normandin kills and a Mercado ace. As was the case in the second set, the score eventually found its way back to a 23-23 stalemate, but it would be the Leopards finding fortune this time around as the final pair of points fell their way to wrap up the evening.

After their brief visit home, the road warrior Bison head out to in-conference opponent Russel Sage College (2-6, 0-0 NEVC) for a tri-match on Saturday, February 24^th. Nichols will open the day with a 12:00 PM showdown against the host Gators before facing Ramapo College (3-2, 1-0 SKYLINE) in the closer at 2:00 PM.