DUDLEY, MASS. (1/21/2025) – Nichols men's volleyball earned its first home win of the season Wednesday night, sweeping Rivier University 3-0 (25-19, 28-26, 29-27) at the Nichols Athletic Center.

The Bison put together a strong offensive performance, led by sophomore Adam Vincent, who paced the team with 13 kills while hitting .267. Juniors Bryce Bonville and Bradyn Pomainville also posted double-digit kill totals, with Bonville recording 13 kills and Pomainville adding 11, while hitting an efficient .333. Nichols also found success from the service line, as junior Evan Sachs and Vincent each tallied two aces. Defensively, Vincent and KG Bennett anchored the front row, combining for four total blocks. Sachs delivered an all-around performance, finishing with 36 assists and leading the Bison defensively with a team-high 10 digs.

The first set opened with the Raiders grabbing two early points off a block and an attacking error. Nichols quickly responded with a kill from Pomainville, then took advantage of two Rivier service errors to settle in. The back-and-forth continued until the Bison captured the lead behind a kill, followed by an ace from Vincent. Nichols later pulled away with a late 7-3 run, powered almost entirely by kills, capped by a finish from sophomore Connor Snow. After two more kills from Pomainville and lone senior KG Bennett, the Bison closed the set on another service error to take set one, 25-19.

Nichols came out strong in the second set, opening with two quick points, including an ace from Evan Sachs, and jumping to an early 7-3 lead after a fast stretch capped by a kill from Bryce Bonville. Rivier answered with a big 6-1 run to take a 12-11 lead and later extended its advantage to five. The Bison refused to back down, rallying behind Connor Snow to fight their way back and take a late 24-23 lead. After a tight back-and-forth finish, a Snow kill and a Rivier attack error sealed the set for Nichols, 28-26, giving the Bison a 2-0 match lead.

Nichols opened the third set by building a strong eight-point lead, powered by multiple kills from the trio of Bonville, Pomainville, and Vincent. Rivier once again battled back, trimming the deficit to three at 20-17. The two teams traded points down the stretch, and after a late three-point run, the Raiders briefly took the lead 25-24. But Nichols stayed composed in another race to set point. The final three points came from a kill by Snow, a kill by Vincent, and the dagger—an ace from Sachs. The Bison completed the sweep by taking the third set 29-27.

The Bison return to the road for their next matchup, traveling to the St. John Fisher Quad-Match to take on No. 17 St. John Fisher on Friday, January 23 at 7:00 p.m. inside Manning & Napier Varsity Gym.