Geneva, N.Y. – The Nazareth men's volleyball team suffered two tough losses on Sunday, dropping their first match to New Jersey City University by a score of 3-1, before subsequently falling to Hobart in straight sets. Nazareth falls to 7-4 on the season.

MATCH ONE - Nazareth 1, NJCU 3

How It Happened

• The NJCU Gothic Knights jumped out to an early 10-5 lead in the first set. The deficit grew as large as 8 points for Nazareth (16-8), but they managed to claw back into a close set after a 7-1 run. They weren't able to maintain their comeback and eventually fell by a score of 25-20, going down one set to none

• The second set saw the Golden Flyers setting the pace, as they leaped to an early 8-4 lead. After some back and forth action, New Jersey City found their rhythm once again and scored 11 of 14 points. They would carry this momentum until the final point of the set, taking it 25-22 to go up 2-0

• This do-or-die set for Nazareth was heavily contested from the beginning. The two teams traded blows, each leading three times throughout the set. Just when it looked as though Nazareth was going to put the set away after leading 20-17, NJCU made things interesting. They would knot things up at 21 before the Golden Flyers finally prevailed by a score of 25-22. The Gothic Knights led 2-1

• The fourth set appeared as though Nazareth had found life, going up 14-9. NJCU would however respond with a 9-3 run to take an 18-17 lead. The two found themselves even at 23 points a-side, before New Jersey City would put the game away with 2 quick points. They took the set 25-23, and the game 3-1.

Game Notes

• AJ Burda recorded 10 kills and 29 assists, along with 6 digs

• Ryan Murphy had 13 kills, 3 aces, 3 digs and an assist

• Tristan Henderson put up 5 kills, an assist and one dig on 22 receptions

• Quintin Chiles had 3 kills, 3 assists, 11 digs and a block

• Joe Seliger put recorded 29 receptions including 4 digs, along with 2 aces and 2 kills

• Austin Drews has 2 blocks and an ace to go along with 3 kills on 6 swings

• Gavin Sweet put up 4 assists and 9 digs

MATCH TWO - Nazareth 0, Hobart 3

How It Happened

• The Golden Flyers took the lead early and managed to sustain it for 25 points (13-12), but once Hobart tied the set at 13 they never looked back. They would go on to lead by as many as 7 before taking the set 25-20

• Set number two consisted of a back-and-forth affair, with the set being tied a total of 7 times to kick things off. From that point on, the Statesmen would hold a narrow lead all the way to the final point, where they took a close one by a score of 25-23. Hobart went up 2-0

• Nazareth found themselves with their backs against the wall once again, looking to stave off a straight-set victory from the Statesmen. This one would, in typical fashion, be incredibly close all the way down to the wire. Nazareth would lead 8-4, 15-11, and 20-15, never giving Hobart a chance to reel them in. By the end of the set, however, the Golden Flyers would run out of gas and cede 8 of the following 10 points, trailing 23-22. Nazareth made one more push to stay alive, knotting the set up at 24, but Hobart proved too much to overcome, as they took the third and final set by a score of 26-24. Hobart won the match in straight sets; 3-0

Game Notes

• AJ Burda had 6 kills on 14 attempts and racked up 26 assists

• Sean Frawley went 10/19 on attacks and served 2 aces

• Ryan Murphy scored 10 kills on 16 swings, adding an ace and 2 digs

• Tristan Henderson recorded 5 kills and receptions, along with 3 assists

What's Next

The Golden Flyers will return to the hardwood on Wednesday, February 11th at the Kidera Gymnasium to take on the Buffalo State University Bengals at 7pm.