ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. - On Saturday, Eastern Men's Volleyball competed in its second tri-match of the season at Elizabethtown, coming away with a split. The Eagles started the afternoon with a three-set sweep of Wilson College (25-14, 25-20, 25-8), before falling to a strong Elizabethtown squad in four sets (14-25, 25-22, 15-25, 13-25). First-year right side hitter Connor Tucholski had a excellent day of volleyball, recording 14 kills over the course of the two matches. 

Eastern (3-5) put forth a strong offensive showing in its match against Wilson, compiling 29 kills on 65 swings for a strong .292 hitting percentage. The Eagle also dominated in blocks, recording seven to Wilson's zero. Tucholski led the Eagles with seven kills, while graduate middle hitter Jarred Barch finished with six terminations and a team-high four blocks. Chris Miller and Jeremiah Pha combined for 20 assists, while Aiden Alfaro led the Eastern defense with nine digs. 

The Eagles got the ball rolling in the opening set, scoring the first eight points on a kill from Barch, a service ace from Miller, and five attack errors from the Phoenix. Later in the set, the Eagles used 10-2 run, again fueled by Wilson attack errors, to take a 22-8 lead. The Eagles cruised to a 25-14 win in the first set. 

Eastern and Wilson engaged in a competitive second set, with neither team leading by more than two points in the early going. Tied at 17-17, Eastern rattled off three straight points to take a lead they would not relinquish. Wilson cut the Eastern lead to 20-19, but a block from Barch and Lucas Adam, followed by three straight kills from Barch, pushed the Eagles' advantage to 24-19. Tucholski ended the set with a kill to give the Eagles a two-set advantage. 

The Eagles carried their momentum into the final set, scoring eight of the first nine points en route to a convincing 25-8 victory. Tucholski recorded four of his six kills in the set to help the Eagles win their third match of the season. 

After dropping the first 25-14 to the host Blue Jays, Eastern tied the match with a 25-22 win in the second set. Trailing 13-7, the Eagles used a 9-1 run, which included a pair of kills from Tucholski, to turn their six-point deficit into a two-point lead. Leading 18-17, the Eagles scored four straight points, with terminations from Adam and Josiah Cash, to make it 22-17. A Rodney Quarles kill and another pair from Tucholski gave the Eagles a 25-22 win. 

The Eagles held a 12-11 advantage in the third set, but the Blue Jays ended the set on a 14-3 run. In the fourth set, the Eagles led 10-8, but gave up 15 straight points, securing Elizabethtown's victory. 

Tucholski led the Eagles with eight kills in the match, while Adam finished with seven terminations and Cash added six. Miller and Pha combined for 27 assists, while Symir Byrd led the Eastern defense with seven digs. 

Eastern will be back on the road this coming Thursday for a match against the Cairn Highlanders. Opening serve in Langhorne is scheduled for 7:00 pm.