POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (1/25/25) – The No. 19 ranked Nichols College men's volleyball team split a pair of decisions at a tri-match hosted by No. 6 Vassar College Saturday. The Bison were first dealt a 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 17-25, 22-25) loss at the hands of the host Brewers, before sweeping Ramapo College in the afternoon closer, 3-0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-20).

The two results shift Nichols' record to 3-4 overall on the season.

Match #1 at No. 6 Vassar College

Nichols finished its effort with a .092 hitting percentage, totaling 37 kills with 26 errors on 119 attempts. Tanner Soracco and Dylan Knapp paced the offense with nine kills apiece, with Knapp's coming off a team-best .429 clip. Soracco also guided the defensive effort with 13 digs in the match, while Chandler Olson handed out 33 assists.

The Bison immediately had to rebound after the host Brewers narrowly claimed the first set, 25-22. Nichols did just that in the second set, with the help of a 5-0 run featuring two Knapp kills that placed them in the lead, 17-15. Vassar quickly answered with three points of their own but failed to retake the lead from the Bison the rest of the way as four straight errors pushed Nichols' advantage to set point, 24-20. Olson then connected with Bradyn Pomainville for the winning kill as the Bison evened the match odds at 1-1 with a 25-21 victory in the second set.

The Brewers shot out of the gate in the third set with a quick 7-2 lead over the Bison, which ultimately gave them the upper hand down the stretch. Through the frame, Nichols was limited to no more than two points at a time, with nine total being scored as the result of Vassar errors. As a result, the Brewers would take the win 25-17 in the third, putting them ahead 2-1 in the match.

Vassar finished off the match with another 25-22 victory in the fourth, which was again fueled by a 7-2 lead to open the set.

Match #2 vs Ramapo College

Soracco led the Bison a second time with 14 kills on .500 hitting, additionally logging five digs. Olson was also solid again in the win, dishing out 30 assists alongside a team-high six digs. The Bison improved their overall hitting against the Roadrunners, combining for a .429 clip with a 37-28 edge in kills.

Ramapo owned a close 11-10 lead in the first set, until a Bryce Bonville kill kickstarted a 5-2 Bison run that flipped the lead in Nichols' favor, 15-13. The two sides then traded points over the next seven rallies, bringing the score to 18-17 Bison. Nichols went on to score seven of the final eight points, earning them a 25-18 win in the first.

The Bison jumped out to a 9-7 lead in the second with Soracco providing much of the offense early. Nichols significantly widened the gap to 20-9 thanks to an 11-2 run, which featured service aces from Knapp and Olson as well as five Ramapo errors. The lopsided lead provided Nichols with enough of a cushion the rest of the way through, as the defense denied the Roadrunners any chance at a comeback en route to a 25-13 win in the second.

The Bison prevailed 25-20 in the third, completing their third sweep of the season.

The Bison will have the week off before heading to No. 20 Misericordia University for the Cougar Kickoff Classic Tournament. The Bison will open competition on Friday, January 31^st at 6:00 PM against Messiah University (5-0), before facing the host Cougars (6-4) in the following match at 8:00 PM. All competition will be held at the Anderson Center.