DALLAS, Pa.– Eastern University men's Volleyball returned to Misericordia for a second road match in the league against the Cougars. The Eagles battled through three evenly played sets but were unable to extend the match as the Cougars claimed each frame by a 25-22 score.
Darren Lopez finished with a match-high 13 kills.
How It Happened:
The opening set was a back and forth affair the Cougars held a slim edge for most of the frame, but the hosts did not hold a 3-point lead until 22-19. The Eagles (6-8, 2-8 MAC) rallied with three consecutive points to tie the match.
Gabe Perez and Lopez each had kills on either side of a Misericordia hitting error.
The Cougars (18-12, 7-5 MAC) scored a side-out with a kill and then scored a pair of points with blocks at the net. Both teams hit .250 in the opening set. Eastern had 13 kills and the Cougars had 14.
The second set had a little more separation. The Eagles built a 9-5 lead before the Cougars started in a run of side-out and score to erase that lead. The Cougars led 22-18 before the Eagles earned a side-out on a Lopez kill and a point on a Lopez solo block.
After a Misericordia side-out, Lopez was whistled for a ball-handling error on a first contact to take the Cougars to set point. The Eagles claimed a side-out and a point, but the Cougars were able to earn the side-out for the set.
Despite going down two, the Eagles found a good rhythm early in the third set. They built a 14-8 lead before the Cougars started chipping away.
The Cougars found the run they needed with Jordan Spidle serving. They flipped a 15-12 deficit into a 17-15 lead. The teams traded points the rest of the way, but the Eagles were unable to get a run to overtake their hosts. Eastern hit .257 in the final set.
Anthony Smith and
Nicholas Hulbert each had seven kills and
Cameron Parsons had 25 assists and eight digs. As a group, the Eagles had only eight service errors and only two receiving errors in the match.
Coach Syracuse Says:
"This was a tough one to lose. Our guys battled really hard and I feel we deserved a better result. We worked on blocking and defense this week and it showed with a number of longer rallies.
"We took our foot of the gas a little when we had the lead in the third set and it cost us in the end."
"Cameron did a good job of spreading the ball Though still a loss, it was another positive step forward for the program.around. Anthony had a number of really solid plays at the net that kept them from putting balls down and that gave our defense a chance. Darren had some great defensive plays and some highlight kills."
"This is not a win, but I think we can see the steps we are taking as a program."
Up Next:
The Eagles will play Alvernia and Messiah on Saturday in a tri-match at Alvernia.
