LAURINBURG, N.C. (March 12, 2022) - The Webber International University men's volleyball team traveled to Laurinburg, North Carolina to face the St. Andrews University Knights for the second time this season on Saturday morning. Just as the first time, it was a tightly contested match that went five sets but in the end, the Warriors fell 3-2 (22-25, 25-19, 17-25, 25-23, 15-11).

The Warriors (13-7 overall, 8-4 MSC) outhit the Knights (12-4, 5-2) in terms of hitting percentage, hitting .279 compared to .248. The Knights slightly outnumbered the Warriors in terms of kills, 59-58.

St. Andrews would hold a 15-12 lead in the first set, but a 4-0 run from the Warriors would earn them a 16-15 lead. Tied at 20-20, the Warriors would score three-straight to jump out to a late lead that would allow them to see out the victory in set number one. The Knights would bounce back in set number two, starting strong with an early 7-3 lead. Multiple runs from St. Andrews would keep the Warriors at a distance as they would take the victory in set two and even the game 1-1.

The Warriors would score five-straight early on in the third set to take a 9-6 lead, but the Knights would respond with a 5-0 run of their own later in the set to tie it at 14-14. Tied at 15-15, the Warriors would catch fire and go on a 10-2 run to end the set and take a 2-1 lead in the match. The fourth set was the tightest of the match with both teams trading blows. The Warriors would hold a late 22-20 lead, however, the Knights would go on a 5-1 run to take the fourth set 25-23.

The Knights would hold an early 4-3 lead in the fifth set, then, a 5-1 run from St. Andrews would extend that lead to 8-4. The two teams would trade scores back-and-forth as the Knights would take the set and earn the 3-2 victory.

Offensively, the Warriors were led by Daniel Hermida with 20 kills on .341 hitting while adding 11 digs to earn a double-double. He was followed by Tinaishe Ndavazocheva with nine kills and Chris Ludwig with eight. Kevin McCarthy and Daniel Bedoya finished with seven kills each while McCarthy led the team with six total blocks and Bedoya added six digs. Kajus Mazuronis led the team in digs with a season-high 13.

The Warriors will now travel to Campbellsville, Kentucky for a Mid-South Conference Pod where they will play four games in two days. Friday, March 18, the Webber will face Cumberland University at 4 p.m. before matching up against Campbellsville University at 7 p.m. The following day, the Warriors take on Thomas More University at 10 a.m. and then University of Rio Grande at 12:30 p.m.