Men’s Volleyball Falls to Rampant Knights
Originally, Men’s Volleyball was to partake in a tournament on Saturday the 9th of Feb. against Pratt Institute and Arcadia University. However, Pratt Institute were unable to come due to a plethora of injuries and illnesses, so the day turned out to be one game between Wilson College and Arcadia University in a non-conference game.
This was a rare chance to see the Phoenix in action and for someone who has not witnessed much volleyball, I was pleasantly surprised to see the intensity and level of hype at the game. Furthermore, for a simple enough sport there are a lot of technicalities and minute details embedded in the sport. For anyone who has any trepidation about witnessing a game, I highly recommend you go out and support our Men’s Volleyball team.
The first set saw a very dominant Knights team storm to a commanding start, completing the set 25-14 despite some solid play from the Phoenix. The sheer height and physical nature of Arcadia University would ultimately play a key role in the outcome. The Phoenix carried their momentum through to the second set, yet Arcadia pulled away and started to show their dominance. The Phoenix offense was impressive through the work of Aaron Hoke ’19 and Zachary McMaster ’19, combining for five kills in the set with assists coming from Ian Firestone ’20. In a tightly contested set, the Phoenix went down 21-25 showing a lot of determination and grit. In the third and ultimately final set the Knights ran out to an early lead but were slowly pulled back by the Phoenix. Strong performances from Aaron Hoke, who had four digs and one ace, as well as Evan Hoke ’19 who had three digs for the set. Despite a spirited performance the Phoenix ultimately went down 21-25, losing the game 3-0.
An inspired performance from Aaron Hoke ’19 lead the way with seven kills with McMaster contributing with six kills. Firestone had a strong contribution with sixteen assists, with Evan Hoke providing the defensive grunt work with eleven digs. The Phoenix played the visiting College of Saint Elizabeth in a NEAC conference game on Saturday, Feb. 16th.