CHESTER, Pa. – In the biggest comeback in Widener University men's volleyball history, the Pride battled back from an 0-2 deficit to defeat the Misericordia Cougars 18-25, 18-25, 25-16, 25-20, 15-13 on Wednesday night.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Nick Poulson played a key role off the bench, recording seven kills and a .467 hitting percentage.
• Dylan Beer led Widener with eight kills.
• Josh Matchett recorded 29 assists and five kills to go along with seven digs.
• Matt Blaum had seven kills and seven digs for the Pride.
• Matt Lambert topped the defense with 10 digs.

 
MATCH NOTES

• The comeback started in the third set when the Blue and Gold raced out to a 9-4 lead. Maintaining the momentum, Widener pulled in front 18-11 on a kill by Blaum. After Misericordia closed the gap to 18-14, the Pride ripped off four points in a row and then traded scores to close the set.
• The fourth set was much tighter as the Cougars took the early 9-5 edge. Widener battled back and methodically closed the deficit to 13-10 before scoring four in a row and taking a 14-13 lead.
• From there the teams traded points back and forth. Widener took the lead for good at 18-17 and put an exclamation point on the set with a 5-1 closing run, bookended by kills from Ethan Cox and Blaum.
• After winning the coin flip to serve in the decider, Widener went down 0-1. It was the only time WU trailed in the frame as three quick points gave the Pride the advantage. The second of the trio was the emotional tipping point as Poulson delivered a strong block that ignited the bench and kept the momentum with Widener.
• Misericordia had a final push late, scoring three in a row to tie the set at 13-13, but back-to-back kills from Beer ended the match.

 
UP NEXT
Widener returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Wilkes for a doubleheader. Opening serve is scheduled for noon.