DUDLEY, Mass. (3/2/24) – In their second meeting this week, the No. 11 Nichols College men's volleyball program suffered a hard-fought, 3-1 loss at home against fourth-ranked Springfield College at the Nichols Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.

Nichols stands at a 16-4 (3-0 NEVC) record with the loss, while Springfield improves to 15-2 on the year with the win.

Senior right-side hitter Tanner Soracco led the Bison with 15 kills on .387 hitting on top of seven blocks and seven digs. Graduate Jack Normandin recorded his first double-double of the season behind a match-highs in both kills (16) and digs (12), while fellow graduate Carlos Mercado dished out 34 assists.

The first set started with a Soracco kill and back-to-back Normandin service aces, which made the score 3-1 in favor of Nichols. However, Springfield took advantage of consecutive Bison errors to tie the game at 5-5, before pulling ahead 11-9 with a 6-2 run. Despite Nichols returning to the lead one more time, the Pride later used a 6-3 run to bring the action to set point, eventually winning the frame with a final kill.

The second set remained close through the opening points before the Bison mounted a 5-0 run to pull ahead by a 15-11 margin. In an effort to slow the Bison attack, Springfield rattled off a pair of quick points to pull within two, but Nichols immediately followed it up with another 6-2 run to extend their lead to 21-14. After a brief stretch of back-and-forth scoring, Soracco clutched up with a kill to bring the action to set point, before winning the set for the Bison in the same fashion to tie the match at 1-1.

Despite a 3-0 lead to open the third, Nichols was unable to hold onto the momentum from the second set as Springfield battled back to lead 12-10. Springfield would not surrender their lead the rest of the set, with their largest margin of difference being seven points at 22-15. The lead proved to be too much for the Bison to overcome, resulting in a 25-19 win for the Pride in the third.

Springfield went on to win the match through a neck-and-neck fourth set by a score of 25-20.

The Bison regroup for a second showdown with non-conference opponent Emerson College Cal Friday, March 8^th. Coverage of the match is slated for 5:00 PM at the Nichols Athletic Center.