GREENVILLE, Pa. (March 8) – The Saint Vincent men's volleyball team earned its fourth straight win, and moved to 3-0 in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference play, with a marathon 3-2 victory at Thiel College.
 
After the Bearcats (10-6, 3-0 AMCC) claimed the first two sets by scores of 27-25 and 25-19, the Tomcats (8-10, 2-1 AMCC) came back to tie the match at 2-2 by winning the third set, 25-18, and the fourth, 27-25. SVC would finally prevail by taking a back-and-forth decisive fifth set by a 19-17 score.
 
The SVC victory avenged its early season loss to the Tomcats, also by a 3-2 score, while it put the Bearcats atop the AMCC standings.
 
The match produced a bevy of impressive performances across the board for the victors.
 
Offensively, sophomore Shawn McSwiggen had another monster match, recording a match-high of 29 kills, while classmate Zebadiah Wyant put down 16 kills and senior Matthew Minkin eight.
 
Defensively, freshman Rocco Marino was the story, as he recorded nine total blocks (two solo/seven assisted), the second-most in a match in program history, and the second-most by an NCAA Division III player this season.
 
The Bearcat defense also saw four players reach double-digits in digs, with senior Matthew Klasnic notching 23, Minkin and McSwiggen 20 apiece, and sophomore Zach Wyant 19, to go with a match-high 45 assists.
 
Saint Vincent got off to a strong start in the opening set, racing out to an early 9-5 lead, receiving kills from Zebadiah Wyant, McSwiggen and Minkin. The Tomcats slowly chipped away at the deficit to make it a one-point game, 14-13, before eventually tying it at 17-all. The Bearcats then looked ready to pull away, rattling off five of the next six points, capped off by a block by the tandem of Minkin and Marino, to open up a 22-18 margin. Thiel again refused to go away, countering with a 7-3 run, and twice staving off set point, to force a 25-25 tie. SVC then promptly regrouped, with McSwiggen putting down the final two kills of the set for the 27-25 win.
 
The teams traded points over the early stages of the second set, before SVC broke open a one-point game by scoring six straight points, including two kills from Zebadiah Wyant and one from McSwiggen, to take a 15-8 lead. The lead hovered between five and seven points over the next several serves, before Thiel put together a 6-1 run to pull to within three, 21-18. The Bearcats countered to score four of the final five points, capped off with a Zach Wyant ace and another McSwiggen kill, to win, 25-19, and take the 2-0 lead.
 
The script flipped in the third set, as Thiel jumped out to a 9-5 lead, which eventually grew to 16-10. Momentum then swung the way of the Bearcats, who pulled to within 17-14 on a McSwiggen/Marino block, and then cut the gap to 18-17 after another Marino block was sandwiched between kills from Zebadiah Wyant and McSwiggen. SVC would get no closer, however, as Thiel took charge down the stretch to close on a 7-1 run and extend the match with the 25-18 set win.
 
Saint Vincent used kills from Minkin, Zebadiah Wyant and McSwiggen, followed by another Mumpower ace, to race out to a 6-2 lead in the fourth set, and would maintain a lead of at least three points over the next several serves. The SVC advantage then grew to five points on three separate occasions, lastly when a Marino/Zach Wyant block made it 18-13. As was the case throughout the evening, Thiel answered with a charge, scoring eight of the next nine points to gain a 21-19 lead. Kills by Mumpower and McSwiggen pulled the Bearcats to within 22-21, before SVC scored three of the next four points to jump back in front, 24-23. After Thiel tied it, another McSwiggen kill made it 25-24, but the Bearcats couldn't close out the set, as the Tomcats recorded the final three points to extend the match with a 27-25 set win.
 
The fifth set saw the teams trade points over the first seven serves, before a Mumpower kill, a Marino block, and a McSwiggen kill gave SVC an 8-5 lead. It was then Thiel's turn for a run, as the hosts answered with a 6-3 surge to force an 11-11 tie. The Bearcats slowly pulled ahead and would serve for the match after kills from McSwiggen and Zebadiah Wyant gave them a 14-13 lead, but the Tomcats came right back to jump in front, 15-14. Zach Wyant then recorded blocks on back-to-back rallies to put the Bearcats on top, 16-15, before the Tomcats came back to tie it at 17. Fittingly, it was McSwiggen who made sure the match would go no further, as he closed it out with kills to secure the final two sets and seal the set, 19-17, and the match, 3-2.
 
The Bearcats will have little time to celebrate the victory, as they will be back on the road tomorrow, traveling to Frederick, Maryland, for a non-conference tri-match. Saint Vincent faces Arcadia at 1 p.m., before taking on the host Hood College at 3 p.m.