DUDLEY, Mass. (3/16/24) - In their only home tri-match of 2024, the No. 12 Nichols College men's volleyball team swept the competition with matching 3-0 wins over in-conference Bard College (25-18, 25-17, 25-12) and non-conference Elms College (25-20, 25-18, 25-17) on Saturday afternoon inside the Nichols Athletic Center.

The Bison advanced to 19-4 (4-0 NEVC) on the season, while Bard dropped to 8-13 (1-3 NEVC) on the season. Elms, who also earned a 3-0 win over Bard in the middle game, moved to 4-16 (0-6 GNAC) with the split.

Game #1 vs Bard College

In the first match of the afternoon, the Bison enjoyed one of their top hitting performances of the season, which featured a .409 clip and 37 kills. Graduate outside hitter Jack Normandin was front and center with 15 of the team kills, along with a team-best tying five digs and a .375 hitting percentage. Freshman setter Evan Sachs was the playmaker in the effort, handing out a new career-best 26 assists while also contributing five digs.

The match started as a back-and-forth affair with Bard holding an early 12-10 lead. However, the Raptors found themselves unprepared for what followed, as Nichols turned the tides with an 11-2 run, including a pair of service aces from Carlos Mercado, for a newfound 21-14 advantage. Nichols eventually took the win in the frame as the result of successive Raptor errors.

Nichols quickly put Bard in a bind in the second set, scoring the first seven points on the way to an early 13-3 lead. Not long after, the Bison lead grew to 16-4 following three straight kills from Mercado, Sachs and Normandin. Bard countered with their own 6-2 run to pull within eight points at 18-10, but Nichols again received a late boost from Bard errors to win the second set, 25-17.

The Bison went up 6-3 at the beginning of the third set, and from there were able to hold the lead as another 11-2 midway through boosted their lead to ten points, 17-7.  Nichols went on to receive five more points off of Raptor miscues, before picking up the win on a final kill by sophomore KG Bennet.

Game #2 vs Elms College

After a brief break for the middle matchup of the afternoon, the Bison picked it right back up against the Blazers. Evan Sachs shattered his short-lived 26 assist season record with a match-high 37 helpers, while also matching the team's top mark in digs with 10 en route to his first collegiate double-double. Jack Normandin was also a double-double performer, notching 10 in both kills and digs, along with a match-high .636 hitting percentage. Carlos Mercado reached double figures with 13 kills.

Nichols stormed out of the gates with a 12-4 run to begin the match. Elms answered back by winning seven of the next 10 points to narrow the deficit to 16-6T but failed to inch any closer as four straight points by the Bison re-opened a 19-11 lead for the hosts. With the Bison later at set point, Elms tried one last time to stage a comeback, but fell short as Mercado hammered home the winning kill for Nichols.

The Bison repeated their second-set success from the first match with a quick 8-1 lead over the Blazers, fueled by two kills and a service ace from Normandin. Through the midway point of the set, the Bison limited the Blazers to just single points at a time, eventually doubling-up the score on the guests, 21-11. As was the case in the first set, Elms attempted a late comeback but found the same result, with Normandin connecting for the winning kill this time around.

 In the third and final set, the two teams battled for points up to a 9-9 tie. However, Nichols' ability to score points in bunches again proved to be the difference maker, as the Bison later went on to score five unanswered points late to secure a 25-17 third set win, completing the all-out sweep of the afternoon.

Nichols will be back in action at the Nichols Athletic Center for Senior Night against NEVC rival Endicott College (11-7, 4-0 NEVC) on Saturday, March 23^rd at 5:00 PM.