BABSON PARK, Fla. (January 27, 2022) – The Webber International University men's volleyball team hosted the Edward Waters University Tigers on Thursday night inside the Sabbagh Athletic Center. The match saw several momentum swings with the Warriors taking the victory 3-2 (21-25, 25-13, 20-25, 25-22, 15-13).
 
The Warriors (3-3 overall) were slightly outhit in the match in terms of hitting percentage, hitting .255 percent compared to the Tigers (1-4) .287 percent. However, Webber had a strong match serving with 16 total service aces.
 
Set number one was tight throughout as roughly halfway through, the two teams were tied at 13. Two separate 3-0 runs from Edward Waters would push itself ahead at 21-16. The Warriors would fight back to within two points at 22-20, but the Tigers would see out the win in the first set.
 
The Warriors stepped up their game in the second set, hitting a very impressive .450 percent. Webber had a much improved start to set number two, jumping out to an 11-4 lead. The Tigers would close the gap slightly, making it 14-7 but the Warriors would then go on a 5-0 run that started with kills from Tinaishe Ndavazocheva and Kai Desauguste and ended with three straight service aces from Daniel Hermida.
 
The third set was one filled with hitting struggles as Edward Waters would capitalize and take the 25-20 win and regain the lead in the match at 2-1.
 
The two teams would be tied, 12-12, halfway through the fourth set but Webber would then go on a 7-1 run to put itself ahead 19-13. The Tigers would put pressure on the Warriors late in the set but would ultimately fall short and the match would be leveled at 2-2.
 
The final set would prove to be just as back-and-forth as the rest of the match, with Edward Waters taking a 6-5 lead early on. A 3-0 run from the Tigers would be responded by Webber with a 3-0 run of its own that included two kills from Peyten Young. The Warriors would then tie the set at 10 after two kills from Ndavazocheva. Another kill from Ndavazocheva plus an attack error from the Tigers would give Webber the lead at 12-11. Edward Waters would tie the set yet again at 12-12, but kills from Andrea Di Paola and Chris Ludwig would put the Warriors at match point, 14-12. The Tigers would score once more but a final kill from Ndavazocheva would put the game to bed.

"It was a good opportunity for our team to try some of the lineups that we want to focus on for this season," spoke Head Coach Carlos Jimenez. "The returners came in and helped to establish the rhythm and everyone stayed focused on finishing the match. Overall, it was a good step for the team to fight it out and get the result on our side."
 
The Warriors were led by Hermida with 10 kills and five service aces, followed by Ndavazocheva with nine and Gunter Perea Quevedo with seven. Perea Quevedo finished with an impressive hitting percentage of .636 percent while Ndavazocheva hit .500. Young led the team in both assists with 39 and digs with eight. Samuel Pearish finished with six digs while Ludwig finished with five. Ndavazocheva, Young, and Lachlan Diamond all finished with two blocks each.
 
Next up, Webber travels to Life University for its first Mid-South Conference matchup on Friday, February 4 at 7 p.m. The Warriors now have eight-straight away matches and will not return home until February 24.