DUDLEY, Mass. (4/12/2025) – The top-seeded Nichols College men's volleyball team swept No. 4 SUNY Polytechnic Institute, 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-22) in the New England Volleyball Conference Championship Semifinals on Saturday night inside the Nichols Athletic Center.  

The Bison advance to the conference title match for the fourth consecutive season, and improve to 18-14 (6-0 NEVC) overall. SUNY Poly wraps up their campaign with a 19-14 (3-3 NEVC) record.

Senior Dylan Knapp delivered for the Bison with 10 kills on a solid .692 clip, along with four total blocks, and four digs. Graduate student Tanner Soracco and sophomore Evan Sachs shared the defensive duties, scoring seven digs apiece, while Sachs also dished out a team-best 16 assists. In the match, the Bison finished hitting .221 with 35 kills, while limiting the Wildcats .029 hitting and 29 kills.

The Bison took control early in the first set, climbing out to a 10-5 lead following three straight Wildcat errors. However, SUNY Poly battled back across the midway point of the set to trail the Bison by just one point, but failed to overtake the hosts as back-to-back Normandin gave Nichols a 22-18 edge late. This proved to be enough, as a final ace from Sachs gave the Bison the win, 25-20.

There were 10 total ties in the second set, the last one being 17-17 late in the frame. From there, the Bison stormed ahead with a 6-0 run, fueled by four Wildcat errors and a pair of Knapp kills to propel them into the lead, 22-16. Another pair of SUNY Poly attack errors then pushed the action to set point, before Nichols claimed the win on a Wildcat service error, 25-18.

The Bison opened the third frame with a comfortable 7-3 lead, forcing a SUNY Poly timeout. However, Nichols quickly found themselves in a tougher position, as the Wildcats battled back a second time to tie the score at 7-7, before eventually jumping in front , 9-8. The two sides continued on through 10 more ties down the stretch, until Nichols pulled away late thanks to a 4-0 run, once again bolstered by Wildcat miscues. Nichols went on to win the set, 25-22, capped off by an Adam Vincent kill.

The Bison will face the winner of No. 3 Endicott College and No. 2 SUNY Potsdam in the NEVC Championship match at 1:00 on Sunday afternoon.