DES MOINES, Iowa (April 12, 2023) - The Webber International University men's volleyball team kicked off its first NAIA Men's Volleyball Championship appearance with a matchup against No. 3 Park University. The Warriors suffered a 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-14) defeat to the Pirates in the first round of pool play.

The Warriors (11-6 overall) hit just .045 percent for the match while the Pirates (26-1) finished with an efficient .337 percent.

The first set was the closest of the three, although Park jumped out to an early 5-1 lead. Webber fought to get back within one but the Pirates responded by extending their lead once again. The Warriors trailed 17-9 before going on a 6-2 run that included two kills from Kevin McCarthy and a kill each by Carson Barnes and Andrea Di Paola. After getting to within four points, Webber was unfortunately unable to close the gap any further.

Set number started off back-and-forth as both teams traded the lead. Webber held a slim 8-7 lead before four-straight points by Park earned it the advantage. The Pirates never relinquished lead for the remainder of the set as they held off the Warriors to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Just as in the first set, Park took an early 6-2 lead before the Warriors surged back and tied things up at 7-7. Later in the set, kills from Di Paola and Barnes pulled Webber to within two at 14-12. However, a 7-1 run by the Pirates put them firmly in the driver's seat to seal the set and match victories.

Barnes led Webber's attack with a team-high seven kills followed by McCarthy and Gunter Perea Quevedo each with five. Peyten Young finished with a team-high 13 assists while Riley Chapman added eight. Young also led the team in digs with eight followed by Barnes and Kennette Esquilin who both ended with four. Defensively, Perea Quevedo tallied a team-high three blocks followed by Lachlan Diamond, Di Paola, and Young all with two.

The Warriors will take on Ottawa University (AZ) in their second pool play game on Wednesday, April 12th at 5 p.m. eastern.