FREDERICK, Md. - Widener men's volleyball has returned to form on the road with a decisive three-set sweep over Hood, securing its first conference win. 

The Pride improves to 7-16 on the season and 1-4 in conference 

BY THE NUMBERS  

• Christian Wannamaker led Widener with 10 kills. 

• Stephen Marquis followed with nine kills, while Josh Akinwale added six. 

• Jason Sandberg directed the offense with 20 assists and chipped in three service aces. 

• Jason Dunn contributed 12 assists along with six digs. 

• Kevin Tinio anchored the defense with a team-high 10 digs while adding two assists. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Widener opened the set with early momentum, using a Hood service error, a service ace from Sandberg, and back-to-back kills from Marquis to jump out to a 4–0 lead. The Pride extended the run behind a block from Quinby Dahl and Anioma Njokanma and a kill from Njokanma to make it 6–0. Widener continued to control the set with kills from Marquis, Wannamaker, and Njokanma, along with a service ace from Njokanma to push the lead to 9–2. After Hood answered, Widener responded with points from Akinwale and maintained separation before Sandberg delivered multiple aces to stretch the advantage to 16–7. The Pride closed out the set with additional kills from Marquis and Wannamaker while capitalizing on Hood errors to secure the 25–12 win. 

• The Pride started the second set slowly, falling behind 5–3 and again at 9–4. Widener began to chip away at the deficit with kills from Wannamaker and Matthew Randall to cut it to 11–8. The Pride then found their rhythm during Njokanma's service run, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Wannamaker and Marquis to take a 17–13 lead. Widener closed the set in dominant fashion with a late scoring burst led by Wannamaker and Akinwale, securing the 25–17 victory. 

• Widener kept the third set tight early, using a kill from Marquis and capitalizing on Hood errors to stay within reach at 4–2. The Pride began to create separation behind miscues from Hood and back-to-back kills from Yavan Patel and Wannamaker to build a 13–7 advantage. Kills from Akinwale and Randall extended the lead to 18–12 as Widener maintained control. Sandberg's service run proved pivotal, fueling a late surge that included three straight kills to push the score to 23–17. Dahl sealed the set with a service ace, securing the 25–19 win and a three-set sweep for the Pride. 

UP NEXT 

The Pride remain on the road as they head to St. David's, Pa., to take part in a tri-match on Friday, March 20. They face Eastern at 4 p.m. and John Jay at 6 p.m.