Jordan Karnes
Contributing Writer
After a tremendous performance in a five-set victory over MIT, the Springfield College men’s volleyball team went right back to work Sat., March 2 as they took on Vassar and Emmanuel. With a 13-3 record, the Pride had a lot to prove on Saturday.
After losing the first two sets against Vassar, the Pride went on to dominate by winning the last three sets. This was the second time this week they won in five sets. Senior John Coen stood out for the Pride in the victory.
Coen came off the bench to tally 12 kills, hitting .391 to go along with five blocks, five aces and four digs against Vassar. Seniors Mike Pelletier and Greg Falcone also dominated against Vassar with 16 and 11 kills respectively.
Senior Mike Becker dished out 52 assists and collected seven digs in leading the nation’s most efficient offense to a .356 hitting percentage.
While not having to fight as hard, the Pride defeated Emmanuel as well in three sets with set scores of 25-13, 25-22, and 25-14.
Springfield hit .444 in the victory over the Saints, with O’Leary and Coen each tallying eight kills. Pelletier and Becker both stood out again in the match against Emmanuel. Pelletier notched six kills and four blocks, while Becker handed out 26 assists.
“Playing against a team like Vassar is always a challenge that can’t be overlooked. We slowly built momentum and came out strong in the third set, which helped us get the win in five. We then took that momentum and aggression into the next match to pull out our second win of the day against Emmanuel,” said Becker.
Junior Nick Ferry also dominated in the match against Emmanuel with eight registered digs.
“Against Vassar we showed the benefit of being an experienced team. Rather than panicking when down 2-0, we used the knowledge we have gained about our opponent in the first two sets to improve our play the final three sets to complete the comeback. The depth of our team took over from there to get the key regional win over Emmanuel in a smooth three sets,” said Falcone.
The Pride go back to work on Friday, March 8 when they take on Mount Ida at home. The match is expected to start at 6 p.m. in Blake Arena.