DUDLEY, Mass. (3/8/24) – The No. 12 Nichols College men's volleyball program rebounded with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-11, 25-20) sweep over Emerson College in non-conference play on Friday evening at the Nichols Athletic Center.
Nichols improves to 17-4 (3-0 NEVC) with the win, while Emerson falls to 3-11 overall with the loss. The Bison have also gone two-for-two in the season series with the Lions, sweeping both matchups.
The Bison outhit the Lions .397 (37-8-73) to .050 (24-20-80) through the three-set effort. Graduate
Jack Normandin led the night with nine kills on 15 attempts for a .533 clip, while also sneaking in a pair of service aces and four digs. Junior
Dylan Knapp contributed a team-high 10 kills, which averaged out to a .714 hitting percentage, while graduate utility
Carlos Mercado dished out a match-high 19 assists.
After some close early play, Nichols gained the upper hand in the first set with a 7-2 run which gave them a 15-9 edge over the Lions. Two plays later, the Bison rattled off another four points in consecutive fashion to expand their lead to 19-11, one of which came off a service ace by senior
Sachio Kekati. The remainder of the set was a back-and-forth affair, with Nichols winning 25-16.
Nichols wasted no time in the second set, as a pair of kills by Normandin and Knapp guided the Bison to an early 8-1 lead. The Bison went ahead by as many as 12 points in the period at 17-5, which eventually resulted in a 25-11 victory on a final service ace from senior
Nick Martin, putting them ahead 2-0 in the match. The set was also Nichols' best hitting performance of the evening at .480 (13-1-25).
Emerson made some adjustments early in the third set, but eventually gave way to a 10-4 Bison to fall behind 15-11. From there, Nichols remained one step ahead of the Lions, winning the match on an Emerson attack error.
Up next, Nichols is back at home a pair of games as part of the Nichols Tri-Match on Saturday, March 16
th. The Bison face Bard College (6-10, 0-1 NEVC) in the afternoon opener at Noon, and Elms College (3-14, 0-6 GNAC) at 4:00 PM.
