PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Feb. 1) – The Saint Vincent College men's volleyball team earned a 3-1 road victory over Chatham University in a Thursday night non-conference bout.
 
The Bearcats (5-4) took the first two sets by scores of 25-19 and 25-16, and then bounced back from a 25-23 setback in the third set to clinch the victory by taking the fourth set by a 25-16 score.
 
Shawn McSwiggen continued his torrid start to the 2024 season by posting a match-best 15 kills on a .314 hitting percentage. Matthew Minkin added eight kills, while Zebadiah Wyant put down six.
 
Defensively, Minkin led both sides with 16 digs, while the trio of McSwiggen, Zach Wyant and Matthew Klasnic each notched nine. Zachary Mumpower posted two of SVC's three service aces on the night, while Zebadiah Wyant and Rocco Marino shared the team lead with three blocks apiece and Zach Wyant doled out 26 assists.
 
The opening set began with the teams trading point for point, with 13 ties and 12 lead changes, until SVC closed it out with an elongated run. Trailing 18-17, the Bearcats rattled off eight of the final nine points. SVC was aided by five Chatham errors, while McSwiggen put down two kills over the run and Zachary Mumpower one, enroute to the 25-19 win.
 
In the second set, the Bearcats took control early, jumping out to a 5-1 lead after Marino and Zebadiah Wyant teamed up for a block, and seeing the advantage swell to 11-5 after kills from Zebadiah Wyant and McSwiggen. Chatham briefly cut the gap to four, 12-8, but the Bearcats answered with a 9-2 run, receiving two kills apiece from Minkin and McSwiggen, to open up a 21-11 advantage. The Cougars rallied with five of the next six points, before SVC scored the final three, with kills from Minkin and Nelson closing out the 25-16 victory. The second set saw the Bearcats post an impressive .367 hitting percentage, with 14 kills against just three errors.
 
Chatham took a 4-1 lead to open up the third set, before the Bearcats answered back, eventually tying it at 6-6 after a McSwiggen kill and a tandem block by Marino and Josh Havrilla. The Bearcats eventually gained a 14-12 lead after back-to-back McSwiggen kills, but the Cougars countered with five of the next eight points to jump in front, 17-15. Moments later, a Zebadiah Wyant kill would pull the Bearcats even at 22, but the Cougars ended the set on a 3-1 run to take the set, 25-23, and pull to within 2-1 in the match.
 
After Chatham opened the fourth set with a 4-3 lead, the Bearcats stormed back with four straight points to gain a 7-4 advantage. The Cougars eventually cut the gap to 9-7, but the Bearcats stormed back with an 8-1 run, which included kills from McSwiggen and Zebadiah Wyant and aces from Minkin and Mumpower, to take a commanding 17-8 advantage. The teams traded points over the remainder of the set, but the seven-point deficit was too much for Chatham to overcome, as the Bearcats closed out the four-set win.
 
Saint Vincent will be back on the road when it returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 3, traveling to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, to face host Wilson College and Wilkes University in a non-conference tri-match beginning at 2 p.m.