IMMACULATA, Pa. – Widener men's volleyball started the season with six straight home games, including two home tri-matches. On Tuesday, they earned their first road win of the year against the Immaculata Mighty Macs.

Widener is 5-2 in the regular season, and they have yet to face a MAC opponent.

HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST IMMACULATA

Dylan Beer was the star against Immaculata, as he recorded a team-high 11 kills and had an impressive .563 hitting percentage. Out of 87 total attacks for the Pride, 39 of them were kills. The team hitting percentage was .310. Josh Matchett was the main distributor, collecting 28 of the Pride's 31 assists. Widener also had four service aces and 27 digs.

The Pride got on the board early with a kill from Ethan Cox and a bad set from Immaculata. Widener found themselves in a tight contest through the first few rallies. The score was tied 4-4. They were able to create separation, though, with a kill by Beer and a Matthew Christ service ace. Later in the set, the Pride went on a 4-0 push that increased the score to 12-6 Widener. A Beer service ace was included in that stretch. The Mighty Macs tried to get back into the set, but the Pride kept them away. Toward the end of the set, Widener's 3-0 run was replicated by Immaculata. The set ended on a kill by Beer. The Pride walked away with a 25-20 victory.

The second set was a close battle for Widener. It was the first set of the year that required more than 25 points to win. A Christ kill, off a Matchett assist, was the opening score for either side. Soon after, the Pride were in a 5-2 hole because of a few errors. Widener countered the Mighty Macs' scoring, but then they were down 11-6. However, the Pride found momentum through Beer and went on a 5-1 outburst. Three of the four kills in that run were from Beer. Immaculata, though, kept finding ways to avoid the Pride from taking over. Down 23-20, the Pride scored three straight points to tie the game. Although the two sides went back and forth into the set's "overtime," Widener finally finished off their opponent with back-to-back kills from Michael Martino and Nick Poulson. Widener won 29-27 in the set and went up 2-0 on the evening.

The Pride got off to a 4-0 start in the final set, with two consecutive Beer kills being the first two points. The Mighty Macs scored three straight points, and the Pride reciprocated that. Both teams scored one point each for some rallies, so neither side could take an advantage. With the Pride at 13 points for the set, they got their next three scores off Immaculata service errors. Immaculata eventually were only trailing 20-19, but Widener sealed the set with a 5-1 run. Besides the Mighty Macs committing more errors, the final point for the Pride was a kill by Beer. The score of the last set was 25-20. The Pride swept the Mighty Macs 3-0.

UP NEXT
Widener returns to Schwartz Athletic Center on Thursday to host the Cairn University Highlanders. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.