DUDLEY, Mass. (3/29/2025) - The Nichols College volleyball team got back in the win column on Saturday afternoon, sweeping conference opponent Vermont State University-Johnson twice, 3-0 in a doubleheader at the Nichols Athletic Center.  

With the wins, the Bison improve to 15-14 (5-0 NEVC) overall. VTSU-Johnson falls to 6-13 (0-7 NEVC) with dual losses.

Match #1 – Nichols 3, VTSU-Johnson 0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-18)

The Bison hit .286 in the opening match against the Badgers, and were graduate student Sachio Kekati who landed seven kills, two digs and an ace. Classmate Tanner Soracco set things up with a match-high 34 assists, which was also the most in his collegiate career for a single match, along with five blocks at the net, while freshman libero G'ovani Collazo made his collegiate debut, notching seven digs.

The Bison took control of the action early, doubling-up the Badgers by a 12-6 margin. The lead only grew from there, as Nichols tacked on a 10-3 run shortly thereafter to make it a 23-12 score, with Cade Bernardi producing two kills in that stretch. A Badger attack error then brought the score to set point, before Conor DeSousa ended the set with a kill, the first of his collegiate career.

The Badgers were able to hang with the Bison early in the second set, but Nichols quickly regrouped with a 5-0 outburst to give them a 12-4 edge, with Kekati adding three kills. Down the stretch, the Bison continued to score points in bunches, despite the Badgers staging a late comeback via a 7-1 run with the score at match point, 24-20. The Bison would win the frame before any more damage could be dealt, thanks to a VTSU-Johnson attack error.  

The third set posed more of a challenge for the Bison, as the Badgers benefited from multiple host errors to keep the score deadlocked at 17-17. However, the Bison rose to the challenge with a strong finish to the set, outscoring the Badgers 8-1 over the next nine rallies to complete the sweep, with Dylan Knapp scoring the winning kill.

Match #2 – Nichols 3, VTSU-Johnson 0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-12)

The Bison and Badgers commenced their second game of the afternoon, with Nichols finishing the match hitting .195 alongside a 41-18 advantage in kills. Kekati led the attack once again, this time hammering a career-best 13 kills on a .480 clip, with nine digs and two aces. Sophomore Bryce Bonville scored a double-double in the closer, matching 10 kills and 10 digs, while Dylan Knapp achieved the same feat with 14 digs, and 12 assists. For both players, it was their first collegiate double-double performances. Graduate student Jack Normandin also helped out in the win, chalking up 16 assists with six kills, and seven digs.

The Bison picked up right where they left off in the first set, jumping out to a 17-8 lead behind kills from Normandin, Bonville and junior KG Bennett. The two sides traded points over the ensuing play, with Nichols maintaining a double-digit lead at the end, 25-15.

A balanced attack got the Badgers to a 10-6 lead in the second set, but it would be short lived as Nichols fired back with a 14-2 run to catapult them into the lead, 20-12, with four different Bison scoring kills. From there, it was a slow crawl to set point for Nichols, but eventually the set would fall in their favor on a final kill by Kekati .

Nichols then dominated the final set, finishing off the sweep with a lopsided 25-12 victory.

Nichols next hosts SUNY Polytechnic Intstitute (17-10, 2-1 NEVC) on Sunday, March 30^th with opening serve scheduled for 3:00 PM.