ASTON, Pa. - The Widener men's volleyball team put on its best performance of the season, as it swept Neumann, 25-13, 25-10, 25-15, in non-conference action Tuesday night at the Merenda Center.
With the victory, the Pride improved to 5-7 overall and extended their winning streak to two matches in a row.
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST NEUMANN
- The Pride dominated the match, tallying a season-high 50 kills while only allowing a season-best 10 to the Knights. The Pride's 50 kills marked the sixth time in program history that they had 50 or more kills in a match, with their last 50-kill performance coming on March 27, 2021 at Wilkes.
- Matthew Christ and Declan Quinn led the Pride with 11 kills apiece in the victory. Christ also led the team with three aces and 15.5 points, allowing him to improve his averages in points per set (4.36), kills per set (3.55) and aces per set (0.55), which rank third, fourth, and fourth in the MAC.
- Josh Matchett led the Pride with 36 assists, which gave him his 10th career match with over 30 assists. The junior setter, who also led the team with 11 digs, currently ranks sixth in the MAC in assists per set with 8.18.
- Widener was incredibly efficient against the Knights, as it posted a .404 hitting percentage. The Blue and Gold's .404 hitting percentage was the best they ever had when tallying 50 or more kills in a match, surpassing the previous high of .225 set back on Feb. 28, 2018 when they played Wilkes and had 53 kills in that match.
- In the first set, the Pride overcame a brief 4-3 deficit by going on a 22-9 run to take the game. The Pride had 17 kills in the set, with Quinn and Dylan Beer having four apiece.
- In the second game, the Pride broke a 4-all tie by going on a 21-6 run to win the set. During the set, the Pride scored five straight points two times.
- In the final game, the Pride posted 19 kills while only allowing two kills to the Knights. The Pride's 19 kills tied for the most kills they had in a set and the two kills they yielded to the Knights were the least amount of kills they allowed in a set this season.
UP NEXT
Widener will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Reading, Pa. to face Alvernia and Lancaster Bible in a tri-match. The Pride will face Alvernia in a MAC matchup at 11 a.m., then will take on Lancaster Bible at 1 p.m.
