UNION, N.J. (1/17/25) – The No. 13 Nichols College men's volleyball program launched its 2025 season on Friday evening at the Clash at Kean tournament, hosted by Kean University. The Bison played in a pair of matches Friday, splitting the decisions with a 3-0 loss to No. 4 Stevens Institute of Technology (19-25, 21-25, 22-25) and a 3-0 win (25-22, 25-16, 31-29) over New Jersey City University.

The Bison begin the new season with a 1-1 overall record.

Match #1 vs No. 4 Stevens Institute of Technology

Graduate student right side Tanner Soracco led both teams in the opener with 15 kills on .294 hitting, additionally adding eight digs. Outside hitter Jack Normandin was also a standout for the Bison, notching 14 kills on a respective .257 clip with seven digs and a pair of blocks. Sophomore libero Cade Bernardi paced the defense with 11 digs, while setter Chandler Olson made a good first impression in his Nichols debut, dishing out 37 assists. As a team, the Bison were held to .202 (43-for-114) hitting.

Nichols wasted no time in shaking off the rust, with the team steadily improving in each of their three sets against the Ducks. Despite the outcome, Nichols never allowed Stevens any more than a six-point lead in any of the three sets, which was by way of the final score in the first set. Nichols also owned a lead on a number of occasions throughout the match, including their largest of three points at 12-9 midway through the second set.

From start to finish, the two teams played to 22 ties.

Match #2 vs New Jersey City University

Soracco delivered a second time for the Bison, recording his third career double-double behind 11 kills, 11 digs and a solid .409 hitting percentage. Normandin and senior middle blocker Dylan Knapp each scored 10 kills apiece, with Knapp committing just two errors on 20 attempts for a .400 clip.  Bernardi helped bolster the defense with nine digs, while Olson dealt out another 29 assists. The Bison posted an improved .250 hitting percentage (41-15-104), with two players swinging .400 or better in the match.  

The first set was a close battle cover-to-cover for both sides, with neither team leading by more than three points throughout. However, behind a .270 team hitting percentage and 15 kills, the Bison pulled off the victory late in the frame, winning 25-22 on a Dylan Knapp kill to pull ahead 1-0 in the match.

In the second set, the Bison opened up a 10-6 lead on a kill from Olson, forcing a New Jersey City into a timeout. However, the break did little to slow Nichols' scoring surge, as the Bison increased their lead to 16-10 with the help of multiple Gothic Knight errors. Nichols would go on to outscore the Gothic Knights 9-6 down the stretch, wining the set 25-16 on a final New Jersey City service error.

The third set proved to be a little bit more of a challenge for the Bison, as the Gothic Knights rallied from three down midway through to trail by just one point, 11-10. As play continued, the task became all but harder for the Bison towards the end of the set, as the Gothic Knights forced a tiebreak all the way up to a 29-29 standoff. The Bison would then complete the sweep thanks to back-to-back Gothic Knight errors, winning the set by a score of 31-29.   

The Bison will turn right back around for the closing day of the tournament on Saturday, with a Noon match against No. 9 Wentworth Institute of Technology followed by a 2:00 PM tilt with host Kean University at Harwood Arena.