Men’s Volleyball Defeated In NEAC Contest At Keuka

KEUKA PARK, N.Y. – The Wells College men's volleyball team dropped their first-ever North Eastern Athletic Conference contest Tuesday evening, falling by a 3-1 margin to the Storm of Keuka College at the Weed Athletic Center. With the loss, the Express fall to 8-11 overall and to 2-1 against NEAC opponents. The Storm collect their fifth overall victory alongside their first league victory.

The Express, who will play in only five conference games all season, currently sport a 2-1 record in league play with two conference matches against the Chargers of Lancaster Bible College and the Wildcats of SUNY Institute of Technology on Saturday, Apr. 6 to conclude the regular season. The top three finishers in the NEAC standings will qualify for postseason play.

Despite claiming a third set victory, the Express fell to Keuka by set scores of 19-25, 18-25, 25-17 and 13-25. In the four set game, C.J. Bayly (Waymart, Pa.) tied the all-time program mark with five block assists – Bayly ties teammate Paul Hernon (New Hartford, N.Y.) for first all-time as Hernon posted five block assists against D'Youville on Jan. 25 of this year.

Freshman Derek Nipps (Turnersville, N.J.) led the way with 12 kills to his credit, committing only three errors for a .281 hitting percentage. He also led the team defensively with 14 assists while tying for the team lead with eight digs to his credit. Only three players for Wells hit for positive averages, including freshmen Winston Pappoe (Bronx, N.Y.) and John Farruggia (Mt. Markham, N.Y.).

Pappoe posted a solo block and four block assists to rank second on the team in total blocks while Farruggia recorded six kills of his own, placing him second amongst his teammates. Libero Tyler Wiley (York, Pa.) also chipped in with eight digs of his own.

For Keuka, Connor Hinman posted 14 of his team's 39 kills. Ryan Kelly set up 33 kills for the Storm while Manny Fernandez recorded 12 digs to lead the team.

The Express return to action this Friday, Mar. 22 as they partake in the Purple & Gold Tournament on the campus of Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y. Wells will face-off against the host Golden Flyers at 4:00 p.m. to open play. 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).