Men's Volleyball Splits Tri-Match Nichols

DUDLEY, MA - The Elms College Men's Volleyball team matched up against Bard College and nationally ranked Nichols College in a tri-match on Saturday at Nichols College.

BASICS
Match 1 (Non-Conference Match)
Score: Elms College 3 (25, 25, 28) | Bard College 0 (23, 22, 26)
Records: Blazers 4-15, 0-6 (GNAC) | Raptors 8-13, 1-3 (NEVC)

Match 2 (Non-Conference Match)
Score: Elms College 0 (20, 18, 17) | No. 12 Nichols College 3 (25, 25, 25)
Record: Blazers 4-16, 0-6 (GNAC) | Bison 19-4, 4-0 (NEVC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Match 1
The opening set began with Elms taking a commanding 4-0 lead, set up by a kill from graduate student Pedro De Jesus (East Hartford, CT) and a couple of service aces resulting in points for the Blazers. Bard stormed right back and took the lead, leaving Elms scrambling. The Blazers regrouped, and kills from first year Al Sánchez (Guayama, PR), graduate student Collin Liedke (Newington, CT), first year John Bellafronte (Enfield CT), and De Jesus gave Elms a narrow 13-11 set lead. First year Nick Uschmann (Agawam, MA) added to the Blazers offensive explosion with a kill of his own later in the set, giving Elms a comfortable lead. Bard still remained strong, unwilling to lay down the Blazers, cutting the Elms lead to just 23-22 late. However, back to back kills by Liedke and De Jesus would give Elms a first set win 25-22.

The second set would begin with Elms recording multiple kills, courtesy of Bellafronte, Uschmann, and first year Joey Crain (Southwick, MA). The Blazers jumped out to an early lead, determined to take a crucial second set over Bard. Uschmann took charge for the Blazers, recording kills and being aggressive on the court, leading Elms to also receive some points from service aces. Back to back kills by De Jesus gave the Blazers a commanding 19-15 set lead. Bard came back again to make the set close, but De Jesus, Uschmann, and sophomore Rafa Artero (Madrid, Spain) did not waver under pressure, and each recorded a kill to make the score 25-22 in favor of the Blazers. 

The third set was close, with Bard determined to come out of the set with a win to extend the match. Bellafronte and De Jesus continued to be huge for the Blazers, recording kills to give Elms the early set lead. Bard came back and took a brief lead, but kills by Uschmann, Crain, and De Jesus yet again gave Elms back their lead. Elms gave Bard some free points on errors, making the match close again. Late in the match, Liedke stepped up for Elms, recording two kills to give the Blazers a lead. Two kills by Uschmann in the ensuing series would down the Bard Raptors and give the Blazers a three set win. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Uschmann: 13 kills, six digs, and a block assist.

• De Jesus: 13 kills, 12 digs, and an assist.

• Liedke: 27 assists, 12 digs, and five kills

Match 2

Nichols College took a commanding lead early on in the first set, going up 13-5. Elms settled in a little, and kills from De Jesus and Bellafronte closed the gap to 20-13 in favor of the Bison. Elms struggled against Nichols aggressiveness, receiving little opportunity in the first set to record kills, as the Bison had the ball most of the time. Elms committed a couple of service errors which resulted in points for the Bison. However, Elms received a couple points of their own from attack errors by Nichols, making it 24-20 at the end of the set, but a final kill by Nichols gave the Bison the first set win.

Nichols jumped right back out to a 14-5 lead in the second set. The Blazers settled in a little this time, and kills by Uschmann and De Jesus afforded Elms some points. In the middle of the set, a combination of kills by De Jesus and Crain and attack errors by Nichols allowed the Blazers to cut the Nichols lead to 22-16. However, the Bison had a comfortable lead, and didn't give it up. Nichols closed out the set with another kill and went up 2-0, with only one game left to win. 

Elms made the third set interesting at the beginning, as De Jesus and Uschmann recorded kills to give the Blazers a 7-6 lead. Elms continued to remain close, with points coming from Nichols attack errors and kills by De Jesus, Uschmann, and Crain. Elms continued to fight, but Nichols never allowed them to get comfortable in the match, taking early command of the match and never letting it go. A Blazers kill by De Jesus cut the Bison lead to 24-17, but Nichols finished off the set and the match with a kill of their own. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Liedke: 11 digs, 16 assists, and a block assist.

• De Jesus: six kills, seven digs, and an assist

• Uschmann: six kills and four digs

UP NEXT: The Blazers will travel to Albany, NY to face off against Sage College in a non-conference matchup on Thursday, March 21st at 7:00 P.M.

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