DALLAS, Pa. (2/1/2025) –  The Nichols men's volleyball program closed out a busy weekend on Saturday, splitting a pair of decisions on the final day of the Cougar Kickoff Classic Tournament. The Bison took a loss, 3-0 () against No. 2 New York University, before sweeping Drew University in straight sets () to round out the trip.

First on the docket was the unfinished match versus No. 20 Misericordia University, in which the Bison fell by a score of 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 23-25, 22-25). Tanner Soracco led the Bison in the loss with 18 kills on .359 hitting, along with 14 digs for his third double-double this season. Evan Sachs dished out a career-best 48 assists, while Cade Benardi bolstered the defense with 15 digs.

Altogether, the Bison move to 4-7 overall on the season.

Match #1 vs No. 2 New York University

Knapp paced the Bison with nine kills on .500 hitting while playing all three sets, additionally securing five digs with one service ace. Normandin contributed eight kills and a team-best seven digs, while Sachs directed the offense again with 26 assists.

The first set started with the two teams knotted up at 5-5, but the momentum quickly shifted in favor of NYU as the Violets outscored the Bison by a 14-3 margin, giving them a 19-8 cushion. Errors from NYU gave Nichols a late opportunity to regain some lost ground, but the hill proved too steep to climb for the Bison with the Violets winning, 25-14.

The Bison put up a solid fight in set two, battling from behind to tie the score six times before claiming their first lead of the frame, 17-16 on a Knapp kill. However, the Violets countered with a 9-3 run down the stretch, rewarding themselves with a 25-20 victory and a 2-0 match lead.

Nichols continued to challenge NYU in the third set, but ultimately came up short in their comeback efforts as the Violets completed the sweep with a 25-21 third set win.

Match #2 vs Drew University

Soracco finished with 13 kills on 35 attempts (.200) to lead the Bison against the Rangers, adding seven digs, two assists and a block. Chandler Olson, in his first appearance of the day, handed out 45 assists, alongside five kills and seven digs. As a team, the Bison hit .375 with 55 total kills, as compared to the Rangers' .224 and 40.

Nichols maintained a steady lead over the Rangers in the first, beginning with a 9-5 advantage that slowly grew to 13-7. Play would even out over the next 15 rallies before Nichols used a 6-2 run late to stretch their lead to 24-17, with Bradyn Pomainville then hammering home the winning kill shortly thereafter to seal it for the Bison, 25-17.  

Drew exacted some revenge in the second set with a 25-22 victory, but once again fell victim to a late Bison rally in the third. With the Bison leading 17-16, four consecutive Ranger errors followed by a Soracco kill furthered Nichols' lead to 22-16, which then shifted to a 24-17 advantage after a fifth Ranger error and a Connor Snow service ace. Drew tried to make up the difference by scoring the next three points, but the Bison would take the win nevertheless on a final Knapp kill, 25-20.

Nichols and Drew battled throughout the fourth set until the Bison set off on a 7-2 run to take an 16-9 lead over the Rangers midway through. Nichols maintained their lead the rest of the way,  with Knapp connecting for the winning kill yet again to end the set, 25-22, and take the match, 3-1.

The Bison will next head over to Springfield College for a Tri-Match featuring the host Pride (5-1), as well as MIT (7-2). Match times are set for 5:00 and 7:00 PM on Friday, February 8^th at Blake Arena.