CHESTER, Pa. – The Widener men's volleyball are off to a strong start in their 2023 campaign, as they swept their home opener the Neumann Knights.

The Pride open the season 1-0 and will see their first MAC game against Wilkes and Arcadia in a road tri-match.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST NEUMANN

Sophomore Matthew Christ was a big factor in Tuesday's win, recording nine kills, 14 attacks, and five digs. Teammate Senior Joshua Matchett led the way for Widener with 30 assists. His other four teammates who recorded an assist had one each. As a team, the Pride registered 37 kills in 63 attacks to have a .444 hitting percentage.

The Pride started their first set of the year with a 4-1 run. Even though the Knights kept it close for a while, they were not able to defend the Pride's hard-hitting attacks. After a Knight's timeout, the Pride's Nick Poulson, Michael Martino, and Dylan Beer extended the Pride lead. Martino sealed the deal with a kill from Matchett to end set one 25-16.

Both teams began the second set with two kills each. However, a service error by the Knights opened the door for a 6-0 Pride outburst. Kills from Joshua Matachett and Kian Stevens and a couple service aces from Matthew Christ led the Pride to a .588% in hitting and a 25-12 set two victory.

In the final set, Neumann held a 2-1 lead early on. But, the Pride shifted momentum on kills from Dylan Beer, Ethan Cox, and Michael Martino to push the lead to 15-8. The Pride scored four or more consecutive points three separate times. The Blue and Gold walked away with a 25-13 set three victory.

UP NEXT
The Pride look to pick up their second consecutive victory on Thursday when they host the Valley Forge Patriots. First serve is set for 7:30 p.m.