WALESKA, Ga. (March 5, 2023) - The Webber International University men's volleyball team traveled to Georgia for two conference-matchups against Life University and Reinhardt University this past weekend. The Warriors defeated the Running Eagles for the second time this season in a 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-14) sweep on Friday before dropping a heart-breaker to Reinhardt in five sets 3-2 (17-25, 26-24, 27-25, 21-25, 18-16).

The Warriors (5-4 overall, 4-3 AAC) were dominant against Life (7-6, 2-4) as they finished with a hitting percentage of .253, while limiting the opposition to just .102 percent.

The first set started off competitively with momentum swings in either direction. Life took an early lead before a kill by Gunter Perea Quevedo tied things up at 4-4. The Running Eagles slowly fought to get back within one at 17-16 later on in the set. Once again, a kill from Perea Quevedo kick-started an 8-3 run to end the set and earn Webber the 1-0 lead.

The Warriors fell behind early on, 9-5, and would be forced to take a timeout. Still trailing 15-10, kills by Jackson Arnold and Andrea Di Paola began an 11-3 run in which Webber later took the lead 21-18. Leading 22-20, Lachlan Diamond delivered back-to-back kills to virtually seal the second-set victory for the Warriors.

With a healthy 2-0 advantage heading into set number three, it was the Warriors that took an early lead and never looked back as they cruised to their third set victory.

Freshman Carson Barnes tied for the lead in kills on the team with Di Paola with nine each. They were followed by Diamond with seven, Arnold with six and Perea Quevedo with five. Freshman-libero Kennette Esquilin was all over the court defensively as he tallied a season-high 12 digs in total followed by Arnold with seven and Peyten Young with five. Young also led the Warriors in assists with 28 in three sets. Perea Quevedo racked up six total blocks while Diamond ended with three.

Webber then traveled from Marietta to Waleska to battle Reinhardt the following day. This match was a nail-biter as three of the five sets went into overtime.

The Warriors slightly outnumbered the Eagles (14-3, 4-3) in blocks, assists and digs, but ultimately came up just short.

Trailing 13-11 in the first set, the Warriors caught fire and went on a 12-2 run to establish a comfortable lead and take a 1-0 advantage. Both of the next two sets came down to the wire as Webber led 24-23 in the second set before three-straight points by Reinhardt leveled the game at 1-1. Set three was similar as once again the Warriors held match-point, this time at 25-24 before the Eagles scored three-in-a-row to take a 2-1 lead.

The Eagles held a comfortable 14-7 lead before an 11-1 run by Webber saw it take the lead 18-15. That was enough for the Warriors to win the set and force a set number five. Reinhardt once again earned an early lead but Webber did not back down as it chipped away and eventually took the lead at 15-14. The Warriors held match-point at 15-14 and 16-15 before the Eagles once again scored three-straight to steal the win.

Barnes recorded a season and career-high 19 kills for the match and earned the first double-double of his career by adding 10 digs. He was followed by Perea Quevedo with 14 kills and Arnold, who also recorded a double-double with 12 kills and a career-high 19 digs. Esquilin followed up his 12-dig performance from the match before with a new season-high of 18 digs. Young also had a career-day as he posted a career-high 59 assists to go along with a season-high 12 digs for a double-double as well. Defensively, Diamond posted eight total blocks to go along with six kills on the offensive end.

The two matches this past weekend were the Warriors' final two away-games of the regular season. They will now return home to the Sabbagh Athletic Center for their final five matches of the regular season. Webber will first play host to Thomas More University on Thursday, March 9th at 5 p.m.