GLENSIDE, Pa. - The Arcadia University men's volleyball program returned to the court inside Alumni Gymnasium to open its 2021 season and did so in a big way, taking out visiting Widener in straight sets by scores of 25-14, 25-20, and 25-18.
Collin Nissley sparked the Knights offensively with a match-high 11 kills and tied for the team lead in blocks with two alongside
Amadeus Cannon and
Ryan Miller.
Anthony Devantier pitched in a team-high 11 assists in the effort.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-The Knights took the first four points of the opening set and never looked back, leading for the entirety of the 25-14 first set victory.
Owen Heft paced Arcadia with three kills in the first set as the Knights took six of the set's final seven points to gain the early advantage.
-Arcadia experienced its first time trailing in the contest in the early stages of the second set, but a 7-1 run vaulted the Knights to a one-point lead at 11-10 thanks to two kills each from Nissley and
Quinn Baily. The Knights never trailed the rest of the way and a
Dylan Zimmerman kill capped the 25-20 victory.
-Trailing 6-3 in the early stages of the third set, the Knights ripped off six-consecutive points to regain the lead highlighted by Zimmerman and
Vaughn McConnell kills. The Pride battled back to take a 12-11 lead, but a late 8-1 run all but sealed the match as three Nissley kills made up three of the Knights' final seven points of the night.
KNIGHT LEADERS
-Kills: Nissley 11, Baily 7
-Aces: Baily 3, Nissley 2
-Blocks: Nissley/Cannon/Miller 2
-Assists: Devantier 11
-Digs: Knotts 6
TEAM COMPARISON
-The Knights had 28 kills opposite Widener's 16.
-Arcadia posted seven service aces compared to the Pride's two.
-The Knights forced 20 Widener errors in the three-set match.
UP NEXT
Arcadia (1-0) hosts Messiah Saturday for a pair of matches starting at 2 p.m.
