DUDLEY, Mass. (1/24/25) – The No. 19 Nichols men's volleyball program defeated Emerson College in straight sets, 3-0 (25-18, 25-7, 25-14) on Friday night in the program's 2025 home opener at the Nichols Athletic Center.
With the win, Nichols improves to 2-3 overall on the season, while Emerson opens their respective campaign at 0-1.
Jack Normandin tallied a match-high 13 kills in the win, hitting .611 (13-2-18) with four service aces and six digs.
Chandler Olson lent a helping hand with 25 assists, while
Dylan Knapp stood tall at the net with seven kills, and four total blocks.
Cade Bernardi was the leader at defense, collecting eight digs. As a team, the Bison delivered their best hitting performance of the young season, finishing the night at .477 as compared to Emerson's .043 clip.
Emerson didn't make it easy for the Bison out of the gate, with the two sides trading blows up to a 13-13 tie. However, Nichols would gain the upper hand over the next several rallies as kills from Normandin, Knapp and
Bryce Bonville, accompanied by a pair of Emerson service errors, established a 19-14 advantage for the home team. Nichols never lost the lead in the remainder of the set and won 25-18 to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Bison came out swinging in the second set with a dominant 8-2 lead, forcing the Lions into an early timeout. Emerson gained a point back out of the break, but then fell deeper into the pit as Nichols mounted an 11-2 run which extended their lead to 19-5, capped off by a Knapp service ace. With the set already in hand, the Bison then closed the set scoring six of the final eight points, increasing their match lead to 2-0.
Nichols held onto the momentum from the first two sets and sprinted to an 12-4 lead in the third, fueled by a 6-0 run featuring a trio of Emerson errors. The Lions would fail to gain any ground the rest of the way, leading Nichols to a 25-14 victory in the third to complete the sweep.
The No. 19 Bison jump on the road tomorrow morning (1/25) for a tri-match hosted by No. 6 Vassar College. Nichols will open against the host Brewers (4-0) at 1:00 PM, before closing against Ramapo College (0-1) at 3:00 PM inside Kenyon Hall.
