JOHNSON, Vt. (3/30/24) – In their final match of the 2024 regular season, the No. 11 men's volleyball program extended their sweep streak to six consecutive games following a 3-0 win at VTSU-Johnson on Saturday afternoon inside Carter Varsity Gym.

Nichols finishes out the regular season having gone undefeated in conference play, locking up the top seed in the upcoming New England Volleyball Conference (NEVC) Tournament with a 22-4 (7-0 NEVC) record. The Badgers fall to 2-15 (0-6 NEVC) with the loss.

The Bison controlled the cadence of the match in all three sets and were led offensively by freshman Evan Sachs with a season-high 12 kills while hitting .318 from the floor. Senior setter Nick Martin delivered 33 assists for Nichols, which was his highest total since February 9^th of his sophomore season (2022). As a group, the Bison outhit the Badgers .317 to .025, while also edging the hosts by a 39-27 margin in digs.

Fresh off a win the night before, it was clear from the beginning that Nichols was ready for action as they quickly pulled ahead to a 9-6 advantage over the Badgers in the opening set, capped off by a kill from freshman Bryce Bonville. From there, the Bison outbattled the Badgers to increase their lead to 16-10, before completely burying the hosts with eight straight points to push the score to set point, 24-11. Sachs then sealed the deal for the Bison with his fifth kill of the frame, winning the set 25-12 for the guests.

Nichols continued to dominate in the second set, taking 13 of the first 18 points. Shortly thereafter, a KG Bennett kill spearheaded an 8-1 run by the Bison, which increased their lead to 13 points at 22-9. The Badgers battled through the final five points but wound up dropping the set by a 25-13 score to put Nichols ahead 2-0 in the match.

The third set saw the Bison erase an early 6-2 deficit with six unanswered points to take an 8-6 lead, which eventually increased to 13-7 following a smaller 4-0 run. Down the stretch, the Badgers continued to fight with the Bison, moving as close as two points at 17-15. However, as was the case in each of the first two sets, the Bison ran away with the score late, completing the sweep with a 25-20 win in the third.

The Nichols College men's volleyball team will now await the official 2024 New England Volleyball Conference (NEVC) Tournament layout, with the quarterfinal round set to begin on Tuesday, April 9^th. As the top seed, the Bison will receive a bye through the opening round.