LAURINBURG, N.C. (February 25, 2023) - Following a tough road-loss to its Crooked Lake rivals on Wednesday, the Webber International University men's volleyball team traveled to North Carolina to take on both Alderson Broaddus University and St. Andrews University on back-to-back days, Friday and Saturday. The Warriors first swept the Battlers 3-0 (25-21, 27-25, 25-20) before suffering a heartbreaking defeat in five sets, 3-2 (17-25, 25-20, 25-18, 15-25, 15-12).

The match between the Warriors (4-3 overall, 3-2 AAC) and Battlers (5-10) was surprisingly close, despite the 3-0 scoreline. Each of the three sets was decided by five points or less with the second set going into overtime.

The opening set was competitive the majority of the way as the two teams were tied at 21, before the Warriors then scored four-straight to take the 1-0 lead. Late in set number two, it was a back-and-forth affair as the two teams were tied at 20, 22, 23, and 24. Two errors by the Battlers was followed up with a service ace from Jackson Arnold to earn Webber the victory in the second set. The Warriors overcame a late comeback attempt by Alderson Broaddus late in the third set, completing the sweep.

Lachlan Diamond led the way in kills with five followed by Carson Barnes with four and Peyten Young and Kornel Szabo each with three. Young also added a team-high 16 assists as well as four digs and a service ace. Asa Sewell contributed with three aces and three digs. Defensively, Daniel Bedoya led the team in digs with five with Diamond finishing with a team-high three total blocks.

Game number two on Saturday was a tight one as it went the distance. The Warriors were outhit, but only slightly as the Knights (8-4, 3-3) finished with a hitting percentage of .256 compared to the .219 percent of Webber.

The Warriors got off to a good start, taking set number on 25-17 to earn an early 1-0 lead. Webber surrendered a 15-12 lead in the second set as the Knights evened the series at one apiece. After falling behind early on in the third set, the Warriors were unable to overcome the deficit and subsequently fell behind 2-1. Webber regained its groove offensively as it took control of the fourth set in a 25-15 victory to knot the match up at 2-2 overall. The Warriors took an early lead before a 7-2 run earned St. Andrews an 8-5 advantage. It never relinquished the lead, sealing the narrow victory.

Andrea Di Paola was the Warriors' go-to hitter in this one as he led the team with 12 kills. He was followed by Barnes who ended with 10 kills and three digs on the day. Arnold came agonizingly close to a double-double as he finished with nine kills and tied for the team-high in digs with nine. Diamond contributed with seven kills, six total blocks, and four digs while Gunter Perea Quevedo seven kills and two total blocks. Young racked up 44 assists and added nine digs and four kills as well. Sewell and Kennette Esquilin both totaled seven digs for the match.

Webber now has to travel to Georgia next weekend for two Appalachian Athletic Conference matchups. First they will face Life University on Friday, March 3rd at 7 p.m. before taking on Reinhardt University the following day at 11 a.m.