BOSTON, Mass. (4/19/24) – The No. 10 Nichols College men's volleyball team's historic season came to a close on Friday afternoon with a 3-1 (12-25, 27-29, 25-21, 22-25) loss to No. 8 Vassar College in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Nichols closes the cover on the 2024 season with a record of 24-5.

The Bison saw another sensational performance from graduate outside hitter Jack Normandin, who tied the program's single-match record for kills with 26 alongside a .512 hitting percentage. Senior right-side Tanner Soracco was also a standout player in the effort, compiling a stat line of 15 kills, seven digs and three service aces. Graduate utility Carlos Mercado capped off the season with a 44-assist performance, along with a team-high nine digs.

Nichols fell behind early in the first set, as the Brewers forced a Bison timeout after scoring the first five points of the match. The Bison narrowed the deficit to 12-6 with the help of a handful of Vassar errors but struggled to catch up as the Brewers utilized three straight service aces to extend their lead to 21-10. Vassar went on to score four of the final six points, securing a 25-12 win in the first set.

Vassar jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the second set before Nichols found its rhythm with an 8-3 run to pull within one point of the Brewers, capped by a Nick Martin service ace. Vassar went on to match Nichols' 8-3 run to stretch their lead back out to six points but were later met by another Bison rally as the score wound up tied 24-24, prolonging the set. Despite gaining a one-point edge on succeeding kills by Bradyn Pomainville and Normandin, the Bison fell short in the drawn-out battle as Vassar claimed the win, 29-27.

Trailing 2-0 in the match, the Bison stayed alive in the third set with a 25-21 win. Nichols opened the set with a 7-2 lead after capitalizing on three Vassar errors, which later grew to 10-3 as Soracco followed up a Normandin kill with back-to-back service aces. Down the stretch, the Brewers attemped to stage a comeback, but failed to pull any closer than three points as the Bison continuously found ways to score. With Nichols in control, 20-15, the two teams traded the remaining points before Dylan Knapp connected with Mercado for the set-winning kill.

In the final frame, both sides battled the entire way through as the largest lead of the set belonged to Vassar at just three. As the Brewers looked to secure the victory, the Bison continued to apply pressure as three straight Vassar errors tied the score at 19-all, before a Normandin kill gave Nichols its first lead of the set at 20-19. However, Vassar put a late 4-0 run to good use, and took the win in the final set by a score of 25-22 to end the match.