BABSON PARK, Fla. (February 4, 2023) - The Webber International University men's volleyball team played in its second match in as many days, taking on Reinhardt University in yet another Appalachian Athletic Conference matchup on Saturday morning. The Warriors fell behind after the first three sets but came back to win the next two to earn the 3-2 (26-24, 18-25, 19-25, 25-22, 15-11) victory.

It was a very even matchup but the Warriors (2-0 overall, 2-0 AAC) willed their way to victory for the second match in a row. Reinhardt (3-2, 0-2) finished with a higher hitting percentage as a team but Webber outnumbered the Eagles in aces and digs in a grueling five-set match.

Late in set number one, back-to-back kills by Carson Barnes and Andrea Di Paola handed the Warriors a four-point advantage at 19-15. The Eagles then scored five-straight to erase the deficit and take a one-point lead. Webber had its back against the wall with Reinhardt holding a 24-22 lead before an Eagles service error was followed by three massive aces in a row by Jackson Arnold to steal the first set.

Tied at eight in the second set, Reinhardt caught fire and went on a 12-3 run to establish a commanding 20-11 lead. The Warriors battled back to within six but were unable to close the gap further as the Eagles took set two, evening the match at one apiece. In set number three, the Warriors trailed 18-12 before a 4-0 run that included three kills from Di Paola cut Reinhardt's lead to just two. However, the Eagles closed out the set with a 7-3 run to take the 2-1 lead.

The Warriors held a one-point lead at 13-12 roughly halfway through the fourth set. A 5-1 run extended that lead even further to five points. The Eagles worked to cut the lead to just two at 19-17 but Webber did well to hold off the visitors and maintain its lead. Reinhardt pulled to within one point on two separate occasions but were unable to regain the lead as the Warriors evened the match 2-2.

The Eagles took an early 4-3 lead in the fifth and final set before a 6-0 run by the Warriors. The run was capped by two solo blocks from Lachlan Diamond followed by an assisted block of both Diamond and Di Paola. The run gave Webber the buffer it needed to see out the comeback and earn it a 2-0 start to the new season.

Arnold led the way for the Warriors, setting career-highs in both kills (14) and service aces (7) while adding eight digs. Barnes increased his tally from last night's game with 12 total kills and eight digs as well. They were followed by Di Paola with eight kills, Gunter Perea Quevedo with seven, and Diamond with six. Peyten Young totaled 39 assists and came one dig shy of a double-double with nine. Libero Asa Sewell finished with a team and career-high 11 digs in total for the match. Diamond led the team with six total blocks while Di Paola and Perea Quevedo each had two.

Webber now has a four-day break before traveling for its first road match to Jacksonville, Florida to face Division-II Edward Waters University on Thursday, February 9th at 5 p.m. The Warriors then continue north to Truett-McConnell University for another conference-clash the following day at 7 p.m.