BOSTON, Mass. – Nichols men's volleyball opened the 2026 season with a split at the Wentworth Tri-Match on Saturday afternoon inside the Nelson Recreation Center. The Bison dropped 3-0 to No. 11 Wentworth Institute of Technology (19-25, 18-25, 21-25), but bounced back with a 3-1 win over American International College (18-25, 25-16, 26-24, 25-23).

 The victory gave head coach Jack Normandin his first career win at the helm with the Bison.

The Bison begin their journey 1-1 (0-0 CNE) with the split.

Match #1 @ Wentworth Institute of Technology (2-2 , 0-0 GNAC)

Sophomore Connor Snow paced the Bison offense with eight kills while hitting .176. Junior Bradyn Pomainville added seven kills, and sophomore Adam Vincent chipped in five. Snow, Vincent, and junior Bryce Bonville each recorded an ace, while Snow also made his presence felt at the net with three blocks. Junior Evan Sachs totaled 22 assists, and Pomainville led the defensive effort with nine digs.

The opening set saw Wentworth come out firing, scoring the first eight points to jump out to an 8-2 lead. Nichols recorded its first points of the season off Leopard service errors, but the early deficit proved difficult to overcome. Even after sophomore Adam Vincent delivered the Bison's first kill of the year and Nichols mounted a late 7-4 surge to cut the margin to 20-16, the comeback fell short as Wentworth claimed set one, 25-19.
Wentworth carried that momentum into the second set, once again racing ahead to a 7-2 advantage before junior Bradyn Pomainville halted the run with a kill. The Bison responded with strong stretches of play, eventually piecing together a 6-2 run to pull within two at 17-15. However, the Leopards slammed the door late, finishing the set on an 8-0 run to take set two, 25-18.

The third and final set was the most competitive of the match, featuring a rapid back-and-forth as the Bison responded to everything the Leopards threw at them. Nichols also found more success on the attack, recording six kills during an eight-point barrage to steal a 17-15 lead, highlighted by a kill from Adam Vincent off a perfectly placed set from Evan Sachs. Wentworth responded with a strong late push, storming ahead on a six-point run to regain the lead at 21-19. The Leopards closed the match by scoring four of the final five points, taking the set 25-21 and completing the 3-0 sweep.

Match #2 vs American International College (0-2, 0-1 ECC)

Sophomore Adam Vincent led the Bison in the second match with 12 kills while hitting .226, followed closely by junior Bryce Bonville with 11 and junior Bradyn Pomainville with eight. Freshman Matt Hand, Pomainville, and junior Evan Sachs each recorded an ace. At the net, freshman Emmett Jackson, along with Pomainville and Sachs, each added a block. Sachs also paced Nichols with 37 assists, while he and Pomainville shared team-high honors defensively with eight digs apiece.

The Bison set the tone early in the opener, quickly building momentum behind an aggressive service line and a sharp offensive rhythm. After the teams traded the first few points, freshman Matt Hand immediately provided a spark off the bench—delivering a service ace that helped Nichols string together an early run and take control of the set. From there, the Bison settled in and began to separate, grabbing a commanding over the Yellow Jackets 14-22 lead with Jackson finding his first collegiate points and kills. Nichols maintained composure down the stretch and closed out the set 25-18.

Nichols continued their strong play into the second set, but AIC answered early and refused to let the Bison build any separation. The opening points were traded, before the Yellow Jackets began to string together key swings to pull ahead and keep Nichols from settling into a rhythm, holding a 15-11 advantage midway through the set. A quick burst from the Bison sparked by a kill from Snow and a block from Jackson provided a brief sign of life, but AIC quickly shut the door. The Yellow Jackets closed the set on a 10-5 run to take set two, 16-25.

The third set saw Nichols immediately putting pressure on AIC and jumping out to an early lead behind an aggressive attack. The Bison built momentum quickly and stretched their advantage to 12-8. The Yellow Jackets attempted to respond with a short push of their own, but Nichols continued to stay composed, answering every run with swings from Bonville, Snow, and Pomainville to maintain control. The Yellow Jackets made a late push to close the gap, trimming the deficit to 24-24 and forcing extra points, but Nichols showed resilience down the stretch. The Bison leaned on clutch execution in the closing moments and closed the set out 26-24, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.

The fourth and final set opened with Nichols looking to close out the match, scoring the first two points and building an early cushion. The Bison maintained control through the middle of the frame, eventually taking a five-point advantage at 12-7. AIC refused to back down, slowly chipping away at the deficit and keeping pressure on Nichols late. The Bison had the match in their sights, but the Yellow Jackets surged on a 4-1 push to deadlock the set at 24-24. Nichols stayed composed in the closing moments, capitalizing on AIC errors to secure the set 26-24 and seal the 3-1 victory.

The Bison will host Rivier University (2-3, 0-0 GNAC) in their first home match of the 2026 season on Wednesday, January 21 at 7:00 p.m. inside the Nichols Athletic Center.