Men’s Volleyball Falls to Baldwin Wallace & No. 15 Nazareth in Day 2 of Cougar Classic

DALLAS, Pa. - The Emmanuel College men’s volleyball squad fell to a pair of AVCA powerhouses on Saturday afternoon as part of Day 2 action at the Misericordia Cougar Classic. EC fell to Baldwin Wallace, 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-17), in the opening match before dropping a 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-19) decision to No. 15. Nazareth.

Men’s Volleyball Falls to Baldwin Wallace & No. 15 Nazareth in Day 2 of Cougar Classic
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Team Stats

January 28, 2023

THE BASICS 
Baldwin Wallace., 3 vs. Emmanuel, 1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-17)
No. 15 Nazareth, 3 vs. Emmanuel, 0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-19)

Records: 
Emmanuel Saints (4-4, 0-1 GNAC)
Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets (8-2, 0-0 MCVL)
Nazareth Golden Flyers (10-0, 0-0 UVC)

Location: Dallas, Pa. – Doc Mould Court (Misericordia)

Date: Saturday, January 28, 2023

THE LEAD – The Emmanuel College men's volleyball squad fell to a pair of AVCA powerhouses on Saturday afternoon as part of Day 2 action at the Misericordia Cougar Classic. EC fell to Baldwin Wallace, 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-15, 25-17), in the opening match before dropping a 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-19) decision to No. 15. Nazareth.

HOW IT HAPPENED (vs. Baldwin Wallace)

  • The day started on a high note as the Saints posted a 25-22 win in the opener vs. BW, holding the Yellow Jackets to a match-low .065 (10-8-31) hitting percentage in the win.
  • Looking to take a 2-0 lead in the match, the Saints held a lead for the majority of the second set, leading by as many as four (17-13) during the action before Baldwin Wallace rallied late to even the match at 1-1. The Yellow Jackets went on a 5-1 run to even the score at 18-18 and closed the set on a 12-4 rally to sneak past the Saints and shift the momentum of the contest.
  • Riding that wave, the Yellow Jackets dominated the third set and never trailed en route to a 25-15 win.
  • EC put hung close in the fourth set until BW scored five consecutive points midway through the frame to take a 15-8 lead after a kill by Michael Devlin (Zelienople, Pa.), coasting the rest of the way to a 25-17 win to take the match, 3-1.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS (vs. Baldwin Wallace)

  • BW got a combined 35 kills from Michael Beard (Hilliard, Ohio) and Devlin to power the way as Beard slammed home 20 while Devlin added 15 winners.  
  • Over 37 career meetings, the Saints still own the all-time series lead at 22-15 but the Leopards have now won 10 in a row.
  • EC sophomore Jyles Amirault (Andover, Mass.) recorded a season-high 13 kills.
  • Baldwin Wallace junior Brandon Long (Hinckley, Ohio) passed out a match-high 44 assists while his EC counterpart senior Roman Fabrizio (Salem, N.H.) posted 29 helpers.
  • EC first year libero Nick Sciabica (Floral Park, N.Y.) registered a match-high 13 digs.
  • Beard and Devlin both earned spots on the Cougar Classic All-Tournament Team as voted by the Head Coaches.
  • The Yellow Jackets received three votes in the most recent AVCA National Coaches' Poll.

HOW IT HAPPENED (vs. Nazareth)

  • After a two-hour layoff in between matches, Emmanuel got off to a slow start vs. the No. 15th ranked Golden Flyers, falling to a very quick 6-1 deficit in the opening set. EC made some ground up to get the score to 8-5 but a 7-0 Nazareth run ensued to make it 15-5 which was too much for the Saints to make up in a 23-12 first set loss.
  • Emmanuel kept things close in set two, trailing 16-14 after a kill by first year outside hitter Trey Guest (Newington, Conn.) but NAZ would pull away late in the action with a 6-2 surge late to account for a 25-18 win to take a 2-0 lead.
  • Nazareth never trailed in the final frame but Emmanuel found itself in a similar situation as senior Josh McDonald (Smithtown, N.Y.) made it a two-point deficit at 16-14 before the Golden Flyers turned it on late to power past EC for the 25-19 win and sweep.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS (vs. Nazareth)

  • Amirault matched his season-high with 13 kills, the most by any player in the match.
  • Junior outside hitter Owen Wickens (Rochester, N.Y.) paced NAZ with a team-high 12 kills while hitting an impressive .529 (12-3-17) on the day.
  • Sophomore Max Stuver (Webster, N.Y.) dished out 34 assists for the Golden Flyers while Fabrizio netted 24 on the losing end.
  • Wickens was named the MVP of the Cougar Classic as voted by the Head Coaches.

2023 Misericordia Cougar Classic All-Tournament Team

Anthony DePalma – Misericordia
Malachi Jackson – Medaille
Ian Wagenhauser - Randolph-Macon
Joe Kozak – Misericordia
Michael Devlin - Baldwin Wallace
Michael Beard - Baldwin Wallace
MVP- Owen Wickens - Nazareth

UP NEXT

  • Emmanuel is back on the court tomorrow at 12:00 PM, taking on Sarah Lawrence in Bronxville, N.Y. at the Campbell Sports Center. The match is the first of the year for the Gryphons who posted an 8-15 overall record in 2022.