Marcy, NY - Nazareth's men's volleyball team wrapped up a dominant second day at the Suny Poly Invitational, sweeping Russell Sage 3-0 and defeating Buffalo State 3-1. There were standout performances from Owen Wickens with 27 total kills and AJ Burda with 51 assists on the day. Wickens was named First Team All-Tournament, while Weaver was Second Team.
The Golden Flyers finished the tournament with a 3-1 record.
Nazareth Sweeps Russell Sage 3-0
Nazareth won against Russell Sage College 3-0 (25-9, 25-13, 25-14) in their first of two matches on Sunday.
The Golden Flyers displayed impressive teamwork and individual performances, especially from senior outside hitter Wickens, who led the attack with 13 kills and a .750 hitting percentage.
Nazareth's attack was in sync throughout the match, with Wickens providing a strong offensive presence, while Burda dished out 33 assists and Tristan Henderson added 10 digs.
The first set Nazareth hit .786 as they cruised to 25-9 victory. Wickens led the way with 8 kills.
Set number two was strong for Nazareth as well. A .409 team hitting percentage helped Nazareth take the set 25-13. Josh Warner added 4 kills.
In set number three, Nazareth closed out the match with a 25-14 win, hitting .524. Wickens contributed 5 kills in the set.
With the win Nazareth improved to 2-1 on the weekend.
Nazareth defeats Buffalo State 3-1
In their second match of the day at the, the Golden Flyers defeated Buffalo State 3-1 (25-14, 25-17, 18-25, 25-16) to wrap up their tournament play.
Nazareth came out strong in the first two sets, hitting .409 in the opening set and .360 in the second. Wickens led the attack with 14 kills, while Weaver added 11 kills, and Andrew Bodensteiner chipped in with 7.
Nazareth benefited from a strong service game, with AJ Burda serving up 4 aces and Ryan Murphy contributing 3 blocks.
The Golden Flyers were able to hit a solid .409 in the first set and forced Buffalo State into negative hitting percentages, at -0.208. Nazareth dominated the set 25-14 and Wickens racked up 5 kills.
Set two included more of the same with Nazareth winning the set 25-17, as they hit .360 compared to Buffalo State's -0.105.
In the third set, Buffalo State found some rhythm, hitting a .429, and were able to take a set from the Golden Flyers at a score of 25-18 in favor of the Bengals
Despite the setback, Nazareth bounced back in the fourth set, closing out the match 25-16. Wickens contributed 4 kills and Burda provided 8 assists in the set.
With the win, Nazareth finished the tournament 3-1.
The Golden Flyers return to action on Friday, January 17 in Grantham, PA at Messiah University against Misericordia University.
