PITTSBURGH, Pa. (March 12)- The Saint Vincent men's volleyball team earned a 3-1 Presidents Athletic Conference victory at Chatham on Wednesday night.
Saint Vincent (7-8, 2-4 PAC) dropped the opening set 25-19, before defeating the Cougars (4-10, 1-5 PAC) in the next three sets by scores of 25-22, 25-20, and 25-19 to earn the road conference victory.
Shawn McSwiggen led the way for Saint Vincent with a 12-kill, 14-dig double-double.
Zebadiah Wyant added nine kills and 11 digs, while
Jackson Genicola recorded seven of his own and a team-high 24 assists.
Rocco Marino and Wyant both totaled four blocks, while
Nick Sikorski added three blocks of his own for SVC.
Chatham controlled the opening set. After the set was tied 3-3, the Cougars went on to score the next three points and never lost the lead the rest of the set. They increased their lead to 17-12 and then 21-14. Saint Vincent scored four of the next five to cut the lead to 22-18, before the Cougars scored three of the final to win the set (25-19), as Saint Vincent trailed 1-0.
It was all Bearcats the rest of the way. Saint Vincent quickly opened to a 5-1 lead in the second set, before Chatham stormed back to tie the set at 10-10 and it remained tied at 19-19. SVC got a little separation at 23-22, before a McSwiggen kill and Chatham service error allowed Saint Vincent to win the set (25-22), tying the match at 1-1.
After back-and-forth play early on in the third set, the Cougars took the first advantage, holding a 14-12 lead over SVC. The Bearcats answered with an 11-4 run to take a 23-18 lead. After a Chatham service error, McSwiggen went to record another kill to win the set (25-20), giving the Bearcats a 2-1 lead in the match.
Saint Vincent won it in the fourth set, controlling the entirety of the set. The Bearcats quickly opened to a 14-6 lead and still held a 22-18 lead, despite the Cougars chipping away at points. After a Chatham point cut the lead to 22-19, Saint Vincent scored the final three points on a service error, Genicola ace, and Wyant Kill to win the set (25-19) and the match 3-1.
SVC hit .190 in the match, while the Cougars on the other hand hit .126. Block were 8-3 in favor of Saint Vincent in the win for the Bearcats.
The Bearcats will return to action on Saturday, March 15 with a home doubleheader. Saint Vincent will first take on Grove City in a PAC matchup at 1 p.m., before hosting Roberts Wesleyan in a non-conference match at 6 p.m., both taking place in the Carey Center.
