Garvey, McCrae Honored as Express Secure Senior Day Split

AURORA, NY - It was a day of celebration on and off the court during Saturday's Senior Day men's volleyball tri-match at the Schwartz Athletic Center, as the Express picked up a huge 3-0 win against Carlow before honoring their two distunguished seniors; Connor Garvey & Billy McCrae. 

The two-game run was a very fitting conclusion to the home careers of two Express standouts, with each senior taking turns achieving the game-high for kills in each match. 

Game 1 featured senior captain Connor Garvey planting 14 powerful kills into the opposing court, exploiting the gaps created by his rapid attacking. Garvey, who appeared on an ESPN Ithaca segment earlier in the week, continued his amazing play and leadership that he has carried throughout an all-important 2nd season for the Express in a tough AMCC conference.

You can find that interview here: https://omny.fm/shows/between-the-lines-1/wells-mens-volleyballs-connor-garvey

The Express as a whole had a monster Game 1, with two other Wells attackers falling just short of double-digit kill performances. The aforementioned Billy McCrae, as well as sophomore Isayah Johnson, each slammed down 9 kills in the tri-match opener vs the Celtics. Johnson in particular had an incredibly efficient first match, logging a hitting percentage of .615.

Offense wasn't the only highlight of the opener for the Wells men, as they yet again displayed a masterclass in defensive prowess, as they've been doing for the past couple weeks.

Another one of the Express' sophomore weapons, Harrison Keena, put up a pristine defensive display, tracking down numerous Celtic attacks and notching a near-season high amount of digs with 13.

Not far behind Keena were sophomore setter Mason Moon and reigning AMCC Defensive Player of the Week Jacob Sehn who put up 12 and 9 digs respectively, putting the finishing touches on a complete win for the Express in the first match on Saturday.

Next up was a tough Wilkes Colonels squad who had assembled a 17-8 record entering the final game on the Senior Day slate. 

Before that much-anticipated match, Wells honored their two amazing seniors in Garvey and McCrae.

McCrae, a two-sport athlete at Wells, has been a consistent offensive standout for the Express in his 2 years as a part of the program. In addition to being a career 1,000 point scorer (503 with Wells), McCrae also managed to reach the 200-kill mark in the second game on Saturday vs Wilkes. He has been a constant threat at the net during his tenure with the Express, and will be missed for his calming prescence during even the most pressure-heavy moments of a tense match. 

Garvey, the Express captain, was also given amazing recognition for all he's accomplished during his time in Aurora. Through 4 years with the Express men's volleyball program, Garvey has amassed an awesome 630 total kills, placing him 5th all-time for career kills at Wells. In addition, Garvey has been a key part of the defense during his career, getting 393 digs and cementing himself as one of the premier two-way players in the program's history. 

After giving the two seniors their well-deserved recogntion, it was time for the final home match of the 2024 season.

Wilkes provided an outstanding opponent, and in the end they managed to escape Schwartz with a 3-0 win. Despite that, the Express fought through every set, with their 3rd set momentum almost allowing them to take one from the powerful Colonels.

As mentioned earlier, Billy McCrae had an outstanding match, powering down a season-high 12 kills to pace the Express. McCrae was a major part of that spectacular run in the 3rd set, and displayed the composure that makes him so potent an offensive weapon for the Express, as he bounced back immediately from an attack error that landed just outside the lines, and slammed down 2-straight Mason Moon sets to bring the Express within 1 and force a Wilkes timeout.

Despite the furious comeback caused by McCrae, the Express eventually fell in a hard-fought tri-match finale against the Colonels.

Garvey, McCrae, and the Express will take the floor next Saturday in Cresson as they travel to face the Mounties of Mount Aloysius in their regular season finale. 

GO EXPRESS!!

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