HUNGTINGDON, Pa. (2/22/2025) – The Nichols College men's volleyball team faced a mixed bag of results on the closing day of the Juniata Eagle Invite Tournament Saturday. The Bison started it all off with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-21) sweep of Penn State Altoona, before falling to No. 13 St. John Fisher, 3-0 (19-25, 21-25, 23-25) inside Memorial Gymnasium.

Nichols moves to 7-11 (1-0 NEVC) overall with the split.

Match #1 vs Penn State Altoona

Jack Normandin pieced together his second double-double of the season, scoring 11 kills with 10 digs, both of which led the team. Conor McCabe was next in line with nine kills, while Chandler Olsen was the top playmaker in the win with 20 assists. As a team, the Bison hit .299 with 41 combined kills.

The two sides went point-for-point with each other early in the first set, with neither side gaining more than a two-point advantage over the other. However, with a close 16-15 lead in hand, Nichols pulled away late behind four straight kills to make it a 20-15 score, with Dylan Knapp accounting for two of the strikes. This proved to be enough of a cushion, with Nichols ending the set on kills by McCabe and Bradyn Pomainville, giving them a 25-20 win. 

The Bison had similar success in the second set, using a late 6-2 run to turn an 18-18 draw into a 23-20 lead. Altoona then committed a service error to bring the action to set point at 24-20, before McCabe played hero again by connecting for the winning kill off a feed by Bernardi, giving the Bison a 2-0 lead in the match.

It was third times the charm for Nichols in the third, as a Tanner Soracco kill spearheaded a late 7-2 Bison run that gave them a 23-18 advantage, shortly ahead of an Altoona error that brought the set to 24-20 Nichols. This time around, it was Adam Vincent scoring the winning kill, completing the sweep for the Bison, 3-0.

Match #2 vs No. 13 St. John Fisher University 

Knapp emerged as the offensive leader for the Bison in match two, recording eight kills on .250 hitting. Olson helped out adding 24 assists and four digs, while Soracco led the defense with six digs, as well as seven kills and a pair of aces offensively. Nichols finished the effort hitting .195 (31-16-77).

The Cardinals used an early 5-1 lead in the first set to make things difficult for the Bison, forcing them to play from behind the full way through. However, Nichols battled their way back into the set and only trailed the Cardinals by two points, 14-12 following a pair of kills between Soracco and Knapp. Fisher responded with an ensuing 7-2 run to make it 21-14, leading them to a 25-19 first-set victory.

The second set was a point-for-point affair, with the frame featuring 11 ties and seven lead changes. With Fisher leading 22-20 late in the action, a Knapp kill kept the Bison in the hunt and made it 22-21. To follow, the Cardinals closed out the frame with three unanswered points, winning 25-21.

Fisher went on to complete the sweep in the third set by a narrow 25-23 edge, scoring 16 total kills.

Following the event, Soracco was named to the Juniata Eagles Invite All-Tournament Team. 
 
The Bison return to the Nichols Athletic Center on Wednesday, February 26^th to host future NEVC opponent Curry College (4-7) at 7:00 PM.