DUDLEY, Mass. (3/26/2025) – Graduate student outside hitter Jack Normandin officially surpassed 1,000 career kills on Wednesday night, as the Bison stole a set in a hard-fought 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 18-25, 21-25) loss against No. 3 Springfield College at the Nichols Athletic Center.

Normandin is the 2^nd student-athlete to wear a Bison uniform and reach 1,000 kills in their career, following classmate Tanner Soracco who equally accomplished the feat back on March 18^th.

The Bison pull even at 13-13 (4-0 NEVC) overall, while Springfield improves to 19-2 on the year.

Normandin paced the Bison offense with a team-high 10 kills, along with eight digs. Senior middle blocker Dylan Knapp also had a solid night for Nichols, recording nine kills on 11 errorless swings for a .818 clip, as well as four blocks at the net. Soracco led the defensive front, logging nine digs, while Chandler Olson and Evan Sachs combined for 35 assists, notching 20 and 15 respectively. As a team, the Bison hit .217 on the night, as compared to Springfield's .293 team clip.

The opening set was a back-and-forth affair with neither side holding more than a two-point lead over the other until Springfield, thanks to a 6-0 run late, jumped in front by a 21-15 margin. The Bison narrowed the gap to two points following kills from Normandin, Knapp and Conor McCabe, but it would be to little, to late as the Pride claimed two of the last three points to win the frame, 25-22.

The Bison found themselves trailing the Pride by a 10-6 margin early in the second, but quickly raced back into the set with a 7-1 run to tilt the scales in their favor, 13-11. Not far behind, Springfield eventually drew even with the Bison at 16-all, but Normandin then sparked a 4-0 Nichols run after driving home a kill off a feed from Sachs, helping the Bison seize control of the set the rest of the way at 20-16. The Bison went on to win the set with back-to-back kills, courtesy of Knapp and Normandin.

Springfield reclaimed the match lead with a 25-18 victory in the third set, connecting for 14 kills on a .464 clip in the frame. Then, in the fourth frame, the contest turned into an all-out dogfight as Nichols erased a 9-5 deficit to tie the score at 16-16 on a Soracco service ace. The teams proceeded to trade the next several points, until the Pride stormed away late with a 5-0 run to give them a 23-19 edge, ultimately providing them with enough insurance to claim the win in four sets, 3-1.

Men's volleyball remains home to host another ranked opponent in No. 2 Southern Virginia University (23-0, 7-0 CVC), the first ever meeting between the two squads. The night will also be the program's Staff and Faculty game, with opening serve set for 7:00 PM at the Nichols Athletic Center.