CHESTER, Pa. - Men's Volleyball goes 3-0 against Wilkes on the season after defeating them 3-1 at home. 

The Pride improve to 12-4 and remain 0-0 in conference. 

BY THE NUMBERS 

• Michael Martino led Widener with an outstanding offensive performance, recording 13 kills on 27 attempts with no errors, finishing with a stellar .481 hitting percentage. He also contributed 3 block assists and 15.5 total points. 

• Christian Wannamaker had an impactful offensive outing, securing 12 kills while also adding 2 service aces and 4 digs, totaling 14.5 points. 

• Josh Matchett was a key playmaker, dishing out 38 assists, while also contributing 4 kills, 3 service aces, and 4 block assists, finishing with 9 total points. 

• Benjamin Heist anchored the defense, leading Widener with 9 digs. 

• Stephen Marquis played a crucial role at the net, tallying 8 block assists, providing a strong defensive presence. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• The Pride would start hot in the first set, as three Michael Martino kills would cause a 7-3 lead early. Widener's defense would have a great showing, forcing the Colonels into three straight attack errors to take a 13-7 lead. An 8-2 run led by Christian Wannamaker's hitting would put the Pride up 21-11, and a Josh Matchett to Matthew Christ kill would give a 25-14 win for Widener in set one. 

• Widener again would pressure Wilkes early, scoring the first three points and jumping out to a 6-2 lead thanks to Matchett's three assists and service ace. The teams would begin trading points down the stretch, with neither team scoring more than two in a row, but the Pride would maintain their slim lead. A 3-0 run would push the Pride's lead to 20-16, and another would finish the set as a Wilkes error would hand the team a 25-19 set two victory. 

• The third set saw the Pride face a tougher challenge, as the opposition gained an early edge. Widener fought back behind Martino and Wannamaker, tying the set at 13-13. The battle remained tight, with multiple ties and lead changes, but despite strong swings from Christ and key digs from Benjamin Heist, Widener fell 22-25, forcing a fourth set. 

• Determined to close it out, the Pride built an early 6-3 lead, taking advantage of opponent errors and a key kill from Christ. The opposition briefly tied the set at 10-10, but a clutch service ace from Izaiah Rivera and a big block from Martino and Marquis swung the momentum back to Widener. With the set winding down, Christ delivered back-to-back kills, and an opponent attack error sealed a 25-22 set win, securing the 3-1 match victory for the Pride. 

UP NEXT 

The Pride continue their season with the first match of conference play against the 6-4 (0-0 MAC) Mustangs of Stevenson University. First serve is Thursday, Feb 27 at 7pm.