SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (2/28/24) - In the first of two meetings this week, the No. 11 Nichols College men's volleyball team fell to fourth-ranked Springfield College in a five-set nail biter (20-25, 25-23, 25-15, 16-25, 16-18) on Wednesday night at Blake Arena.

The Bison shift to 15-3 (2-0 NEVC) with the loss, while Springfield improves to 14-2 with the win.

Jack Normandin had a team-high 15 kills on 34 swings for the Bison along with two digs and three assists. Senior Tanner Soracco finished the evening with the team's best hitting percentage, going 13-of-26 for a .423 clip. Graduate Carlos Mercado handed out 39 helpers, while freshman libero Cade Bernardi added a match-high 13 digs.

In a neck-and-neck first set, Springfield led from the opening serve and climbed ahead by as many as eight at 13-4. Down the stretch, Nichols managed to whittle the Pride lead down to two at 22-20, but Springfield took the set regardless with three straight points at the tail end.

In the second set, the Bison rallied from a 12-7 deficit to draw even with the Pride, 19-19. Following a brief exchange of points, a Soracco kill succeeded by three straight Springfield errors placed the Bison at set point, 24-21, leading up to a final kill by junior Dylan Knapp to win the set for Nichols, 25-23.

Fueled by their second set momentum, Nichols doubled-up the score on the Pride with an early 12-6 lead in the third. The Bison only expanded upon their lead from there, as a 6-2 run boosted the score to 18-9 thanks to a pair of Normandin kills and a Mercado service ace. Springfield attempted to rally late, but five of the final seven points went in favor of the Bison, earning them a 10-point win in the third for a 2-1 match lead.

In the fourth set, the Pride quelled the Bison momentum by taking their own 12-6 lead, which eventually transformed into a 15-7 advantage at the midway point. Despite Nichols re-discovering their offensive groove, the margin proved to be enough for the Pride to extend the match with a 25-16 set win, sending the action to a deciding fifth frame.

Following a back-and-forth start to the fifth set, kills by Soracco, Normandin, and freshman Bryce Bonville gave Nichols an 8-5 edge. However, the Pride retaliated with three straight points to tie the set at 8-8, again prompting another stretch of closely contested play. With Springfield leading 15-14, a second kill from Soracco tied the score to a 15-15, but the Pride answered by scoring three of the next four points, two of them on kills, to steal the match from the Bison, 3-2.

The Bison will look for redemption against the Pride on Saturday, but not before a New England Volleyball Conference showdown with Eastern Nazarene College (9-4, 0-0 CCC) on Friday, March 1^st at the Nichols Athletic Center. Opening serve is slated for 7:00 PM.