CHESTER, Pa.– Eastern University Men's Volleyball hit .429 in the decisive final frame to earn a five-set MAC win over the Widener University Pride.
Justin Flor led the Eagles with 14 kills and four aces.
Foster Lobb and
Lucas Adam added double-doubles in the match. Lobb finished with 13 kills and 10 digs, and Adam had 11 kills and 13 digs.
Trey Miller had 17 digs.
With rookie setter
Jeremiah Pha serving, the Eagles (1-2) jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the final set. Lobb delivered two thunderous kills to start the run and Flor finished the run with a well placed shot for the 5-0 lead. After the Pride closed the gap to 8-5, Adam pounded out a kill to earn a sideout. With Flor in the back row, the Eagles earned points off kills from
Ben Sierer and Lobb. The Eagles were able to earn sideouts to secure the win.
The victory is the first for the program in almost exactly a calendar year. The Eagles earned a home win over Neumann on March 11, 2020. With rumors floating about a coming pandemic and necessary steps to respond, that night had had a very strange feel to it. One year later, things are heading toward a slightly more ordinary spring. The two teams played in masks, and the only fans were watching on the live stream, but the teams were playing.
Widener used a 5-point run early to take control of the opening set, and the Pride hung on to win 25-17. The Eagles hit just .160 in the set, and the hosts had their offense clicking with 14 kills and a .393 hitting percentage.
The Eastern defense turned the game around in the second. Between solid net presence and scrambling play in the back row, the Eagles held Widener to .094 hitting in the second set. Sam Christie delivered a big solo block in the midst of a 10-3 run that put the Eagles up 15-9. Widener closed the gap to 18-15, but Flor delivered a pair of service aces around a back row kill to lift the Eagles to a 22-15 edge. The Eagles leveled the match at 1-1 with a 25-19 win in the second.
Eastern earned a 25-21 win in the critical third set. It did not come without drama. After building a 17-10 lead, the Eagles ran into difficulty and the Pride tied the set at 18-18. It stayed level until Pha earned a point on serve with a solo block at the net for a 22-20 lead. Flor delivered an ace for a three-point lead and Adam brought the Eagles to set point with a kill.
The fourth set did not go as well. The Eagles hit a negative number and struggled in passing and defense. Widener seemed to grab the momentum of the match with a 25-18 win in the fourth.
"This was a great gut-check win for the guys," Head Coach
Randy Syracuse said. "We did not play well in the two sets we lost. We were able to right the ship immediately following disappointment. Trey was a huge key for us in extending rallies and it was great to have Justin back hitting and serving. "
In addition to delivering the block of the night in the third set, Pha showed continued improvement running the offense. He finished with 39 assists in a new position in just his second day of collegiate competition.
"We definitely see some areas where we need to work," Syracuse continued. "But I was very pleased with the way the team responded."
The Eagles are at Alvernia for a doubleheader this Saturday and will return home for two midweek dates next week. They will host a doubleheader against Stevens Institute of Technology on Tuesday and will host this Widener team on Wednesday.
