LATROBE, Pa. (March 31) – The Saint Vincent men's volleyball team defeated Carlow University 3-0 in a non-conference match in the Robert S. Carey Student Center.
Set scores were 25-18, 25-16 and 26-24.

Matthew Minkin led both sides with 12 kills, while also adding nine digs and an ace. Ethan Kammerer put down five kills, along with a match-high four blocks, while Matthew Furrer dished 29 assists to go with two blocks and two aces. Matthew Klasnic tied Minkin for the team lead with nine kills, with Connor McCune adding six.

Over the three sets, Saint Vincent committed just eight attack errors, hitting at a .325 clip. The Bearcats also served six aces and totaled 11 blocks.

In the opening set, Carlow and SVC traded points over the first several rallies, before the Bearcats gained some separation with a 4-0 run to take a 10-6 lead on a Furrer kill. Carlow answered back to eventually tie the set at 18, but from there it was all Saint Vincent, with the Bearcats ending on a 7-0 run – with three kills from Minkin - to close out the 25-18 win.

The second set began in the same fashion as the first, with the two teams alternating points over the first 10 serves to forge a 5-5 tie. Chatham would score three unanswered points to jump in front 8-5, but SVC mounted a 5-0 run to take a 10-8 lead after a pair of Celtic attack errors. The Bearcats kept the momentum and would continue to increase their lead, with a service ace from Michael Pollak making it 15-11, before a Furrer kill followed by an Anthony Ditonto ace gave SVC a 19-12 advantage. The lead would never shrink below six points for the remainder of the set, with the Bearcats closing out the 25-16 win on kills from Pollak, Minkin and Ditonto.

The Bearcats spotted the Celtics a 4-2 lead in the third set, before responding with four unanswered points to take a 6-4 lead after a pair of Carlow attack errors. Carlow battled back to tie it at 8-all, but the Bearcats took charge with a 9-3 run to open up their largest lead of the set, 17-11.  It wasn't enough to put away Carlow, however, as the Celtics put together a long 10-4 run to eventually tie the set at 21-all. They would continue to match the Bearcats point for point over the next several serves, but after a 24-24 tie, Minkin put down kills to account for the final two points to close out the set, 26-24, and the match, 3-0.

The Bearcats will now close out the 2022 regular season with a pivotal Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference tri match in the Robert s. Carey Student Center on Saturday, April 2. With AMCC playoff implications on the line, SVC will take on Medaille College beginning at noon, before closing the day with a 5 p.m. match against Hiram.

The final home date of the season will begin with Senior Day recognition for the three-man SVC senior class of Furrer, Thomas Franey and Mark Stephenson.