ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - Eastern Men's Volleyball recorded a pair of three-set sweeps over Valley Forge and Penn State Schuylkill on Saturday at the NEST in its second home tri-match of the season. The Eastern offense was in sync all day, hitting .278 against the Patriots in the opener and a strong .391 against the Lions later in the afternoon. Sophomore Colby Arvesen led the Eastern attack with 20 kills across both matches.

The Eagles dominated their opening match against the Patriots, collecting 39 kills on 79 swings while limiting Valley Forge to a negative percentage of -.049. Arvesen led the way for Eastern in the opener with 10 kills on 18 swings, while first-year middle hitter Landon Mattiace collected six terminations on 10 swings. Kaodi Wokocha, playing in only two sets, hit .625 with five kills on eight swings. 

Eastern's offense hummed in the opening set with 15 kills on 22 swings. The Eagles scored the first two points on an Arvesen kill and a Ronan Landis service ace and never trailed in a 25-8 victory. Wokocha recorded four of his five kills and a service ace in the opening set, while Arvesen finished with three. Eastern ended the set on a 21-4 run.

The second set was more of a battle as the two teams traded runs. After an early 5-5 tie, the Eagles used a 6-1 surge to go up 11-5. Arvesen and Mattiace each had a kill, while Tiger Winston collected a service ace. The Patriots responded with their own 6-1 run, tying the match at 12. The Eagles went back up by three at 17-14, before Valley Forge grabbed its first lead of the day with four straight points to go up 18-17. Eastern regrouped, ending the second set on an 8-3 run to win 25-21 and take a two-set lead. Arvesen recorded three kills in the decisive run, while first-year Daniel Carrillo finished with a kill and a service ace. 

With most of the starters back in for the final set, Eastern made quick work of the Patriots, 25-11. After Valley Forge scored the first point, Eastern scored 10 of the next 11 points to take a lead it would not relinquish. The Eagles finished with 12 kills on 18 swings to earn the three-set sweep. Landis and Josh Hrabosky combined for 32 assists, while Symir Byrd led the defensive effort with 11 digs.

Eastern's offense was even better against the Lions with 38 kills and just 11 hitting errors on 69 swings. Arvesen recorded another 10 kills on 19 swings, while first-year middle hitter Trey Broussard finished with an efficient eight kills on 10 swings, good for a .700 hitting percentage. Eight Eagles hit .333 or better in the win.

After Penn State scored the first point of the opening set, the Eagles answered with nine straight points to put themselves in the drivers' seat. Broussard had a pair of kills in the run, while Wokocha finished with three service aces. Penn State eventually cut the Eastern lead to 18-15, but the Eagles ended the set on 7-2 run. Kadin Kolstad collected a pair of service aces, Landis and Connor Tucholski each had a kill, and Kino Tuitupou capped off the set with a kill to give the Eagles a one-set lead.

Eastern trailed early in the second set, 4-3, but quickly took control again with a 12-5 run. Wokocha collected three kills, while Broussard recorded a kill and a service ace. Penn State again cut the Eastern lead to three at 16-13, but the Eagles responded with six straight points, which included a pair of kills from Arvesen. A Mattiace termination gave the Eagles their 23rd point, and Winston sealed the deal with a kill of his own to put the Eagles up by two sets.

The Eagles took an early 6-2 lead in the third set and never trailed, winning by a final score of 25-12. Arvesen finished with six kills in the final set, while Broussard collected five. Landis finished the match with 22 assists, and both Arvesen and Wokocha finished with five digs. It was Eastern's second three-set win over Penn State Schuylkill this winter. 

Eastern (6-8) will be back in action on the road at Gallaudet on Thursday.