DALLAS, PA-The 15-ranked Nazareth men's volleyball team improved to 8-0 on Friday, beating Randolph-Macon in straight sets, 29-27, 25-21, 25-19, and downing Misericordia in four sets, 25-22, 25-22, 24-26, 25-23. Owen Wickens led the first match with 14 kills with three aces. Trent Caviness led the team in assists with 25. Nate Allen led the Golden Flyers in the second match with 11 kills and 7 digs. Wickens switched to a setting role in the second match, dishing out 23 assists and adding three blocks, and two aces.
Nazareth returns to the court Saturday for two matches, taking on Baldwin Wallace at 1 p.m. and Emmanuel at 3 p.m.
3-0 win vs Randolph-Macon, 29-27, 25-21, 25-19
After trailing behind Randolph-Macon for most of the first set, Nazareth came back and pulled away with the score tied at 27 to win by two. A block by Colin Donahue and Wickens closed out the set.
In the second, the Golden Flyers broke away with a 21-20 lead, scoring four-of-the-next-five points to win the set.
The Golden Flyers finished out the match with a 25-19 win. The team hit .321 in the third set with 13 kills on 28 attempts and four errors.
Wickens had 14 of the team's 36 total kills for the match with a .250 hitting percentage. Caviness ended with 25 assists and six kills.
3-1 vs Misericordia, 25-22, 25-22, 24-26, 25-23
The Golden Flyers took the lead early in the first set to get the 25-22 win over Misericordia. A kill by Caviness finished the set for Nazareth. The team hit .273 in the first set with 14 kills on 33 attempts and five errors.
A close set ended with Nazareth winning 25-22. The Flyers maintained the lead after being tied 6-6 early on. Allen led the team with four kills in the second set.
The third set ended in favor of Misericordia, 26-24, in a set that was close throughout.
In the fourth, the Golden Flyers shot out to an early lead and led 20-14 before the Cougars had a frantic comeback to tie the game at 22 apiece. Despite a late fightback from the Cougars, Nazareth won the set 25-23, on the last kill from Max Stuver.
Nazareth now has a record of 8-0 heading into tomorrow to finish out the Cougar Kickoff Classic Show.
