Men’s Volleyball Drops Two To Conclude Tournament

AURORA, N.Y. – The Wells College men's volleyball team dropped both games to conclude the second Wells College Invitational tournament on Sunday at the Frances Tarlton Farenthold Athletic Wing. With the two non-conference losses against the Nittany Lions of Penn St.-Altoona and the Bearcats of Rust College, the Express even their overall record at 7-7.

The Express dropped the day's opener against the Nittany Lions by set scores of 25-17, 25-23 and 25-14. In the game, sophomore Paul Hernon (New Hartford, N.Y.) led the way with eight kills and a team-best .312 hitting percentage, making only three errors in 16 chances. Junior C.J. Bayly (Waymart, Pa.) led the team with 14 assists while freshman Derek Nipps (Turnersville, N.J.) was second with 11 assists to his credit. Defensively, Bayly led the way with 18 digs.

With the score tied at 23 apiece in the middle stanza of the opening match, kills from Daniel Reilly and Christopher Wisbeski silenced any chance of a Wells comeback in the waning plays. Cumulatively for the Nittany Lions, Reilly posted seven kills while Wisbeski powered home a team-best eight kills, converting at a .312 clip. Branden McGarvey assisted 24 of his team's 31 kills while also contributing a team-best eight digs.

Against Rust in the day's final contest, the Express recorded set scores of 20-25, 15-25, 23-25, and 19-25. Wells saw a team-best seven kills from freshman J.J. Podczasy (Macungie, Pa.), who also led the way with two solo blocks to his credit. Nipps set up 18 of his team's 31 kills while both Bayly and Nipps chipped in six digs apiece. The Express staved off a Bearcats rally in the third set, using an Andrew Jacobs (Millburn, N.J.) service ace and a kill by freshman Tyler Wiley (York, Pa.) for the 24th and 25th points, respectively.

Edward Peter posted 17 of his team's 52 total kills in the game, chipping in two service aces as well. Johny Salvador set up 29 total kills while also contributing 11 total digs. Razeem Huggins ranked second on the squad with 11 kills in 27 total attacks while contributing two solo blocks and two block assists.

The Express return to action this Friday, Mar. 8 as they participate in the York Invitational. Wells draws Polytechnic (N.Y.) in the opener, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Stay up to date with the latest news directly from the Wells College athletic department by "liking" us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/WellsExpress) and subscribing to our Twitter account (http://www.twitter.com/WellsExpress).