CHESTER, Pa. - Widener honored its seniors before the match, but King's controlled the momentum throughout, handing the Pride a straight-set defeat.
The Pride drops to 8-18 on the season and 1-6 in conference play.
BY THE NUMBERS
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Widener came out sharp on Senior Day, jumping ahead 2–0 behind a service ace from Connelly and early offensive pressure. The Pride maintained control through the opening stretch, using kills from Njokanma and Stubbs to build a 6–4 advantage. King's responded with a momentum-shifting run midway through the set, turning a 6–6 tie into a 15–10. The Monarchs continued to apply pressure from the service line, extending the gap to 19–11. Widener showed late fight, getting points from Njokanma, Stubbs, and Matthew Randall to trim the deficit to 22–19, but King's closed the set on a 4–1 run to secure the 25–19 win.
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The second set opened with both teams trading points early, as Widener capitalized on errors and a service ace from Dahl to take a 6–4 lead. King's quickly responded, using a steady offensive rhythm to even the score at 6–6 before going on a run to take an 8–6 advantage. The Monarchs continued to build momentum, extending their lead to 13–10. Despite kills from Stubbs and Dahl that helped the Pride stay within reach, King's maintained control through the middle portion of the set, stretching the lead to 18–13. Widener made a late push, narrowing the gap to 21–20 following back-to-back kills from Dahl and improved defensive play. However, King's answered down the stretch, closing out the second set 25–21.
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The third set opened with King's jumping out to an early 4–2 lead. The Pride responded behind kills from Stephen Marquis and Josh Akinwale, trimming the deficit and eventually evening the score at 7–7. From there, both teams traded points in a tightly contested battle, with neither side able to create much separation. Widener stayed within striking distance thanks to contributions from Stubbs and Dahl, while a service ace from Connelly helped push the set to a 13–13 tie. The back-and-forth continued into the later stages, as the teams remained deadlocked at 16–16, 20–20, and again at 22–22. Clutch kills from Njokanma gave Widener a late opportunity, but King's answered each time. With the score tied at 24–24, King's capitalized on a final Widener error before sealing the match with a service ace, taking the set 26–24 and completing the sweep.
UP NEXT
The Pride remain at home for their last game of the season on Wednesday, April 1, as they take on Misericordia University. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
