MARIETTA, Ga. (March 30, 2023) - The Webber International University men's volleyball team kicked off the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament with a quarterfinal matchup against Truett McConnell University on Thursday afternoon. The Warriors made light work of the Bears in a 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-15) sweep.

The Warriors (9-5 overall) were on fire offensively as they ended the match with a hitting percentage just shy of .400 (.392). Webber also limited the Bears (0-17) to hitting just .125 percent for the match while totaling seven blocks.

Webber held a narrow lead of 9-7 early on in the first set before the Warriors went on a 13-3 tear that earned them a healthy advantage at 22-10. The two teams traded points from that point on until a kill by Carson Barnes sealed the set one victory.

The second set proved to be the most competitive of the three. Webber held an early lead at 6-4 before the Bears battled back and later took the lead 9-8. TMU held its lead at 12-9 and later at 15-11 before the Warriors responded with a 6-1 run that saw them regain the lead at 17-16. The lead exchanged hands four more times before the end of the set. The Bears led 22-21 before three-straight points by the Warriors that included a solo-block from Julio Ferrer and a kill by Andrea Di Paola, ended the set.

The third and final set was close to start out as Webber held just a 10-9 lead. However, the Warriors quickly broke the set open after a 6-0 run that included two kills from Luiz Gustavo Silva and one by Kevin McCarthy. The run handed Webber a 16-9 lead that it was able to maintain for the remainder of the set.

The Warriors were led by both McCarthy and Ferrer who both finished with seven kills each. Ferrer recorded season and career-highs for both kills and digs (8). Following behind was Di Paola, Lachlan Diamond, and Wesley Blazek all with four kills each. Defensively, Kennette Esquilin led the team with 15 total digs while Diamond, McCarthy, Ferrer, and Peyten Young all had two total blocks. Young also led the team in assists with 22 followed by Riley Chapman who ended with 12.

Webber now advances to the semifinal match of the tournament where it will face Reinhardt University on Friday, March 31st at 6 p.m. The Warriors were 1-1 in the regular season against the Eagles with both matches going to five sets.