WINSTON-SALEM, NC – Webber Men's Volleyball split a pair of matches Saturday at Williams Gymnasium, opening the day with a straight-sets win over Carolina (N.C.) before dropping a tight 3-set decision to Bluefield (Va.).

Match 1 – Webber def. Carolina (N.C.), 3-0

Webber set the tone early with a clean sweep, taking the match 25-15, 25-15, 25-18. The Warriors hit a strong .364 (38 kills, 14 errors, 66 attempts) and pressured Carolina consistently at the service line with 7 aces.

Gavin Patterson led the attack with 9 kills while also contributing 2 aces. Talan Stephens directed the offense with a match-high 18 assists, and Noah Riascos anchored the back row with 9 digs while adding 2.0 total blocks. Webber also got a pair of aces each from Patterson, Janis Dobelis, and Mateus Haubrich as the Warriors maintained control throughout all three sets.

The win for the Warriors marks the first one of the season, and for the Webber Career of Coach Duda.

Match 2 – Bluefield (Va.) def. Webber, 3-0

In the second match, Webber fought deep into the third set but came up just short, falling 25-16, 25-19, 28-26. The Warriors trimmed the margin late and had chances in the closing set, but Bluefield held on to complete the sweep.

Janis Dobelis paced Webber with 11 kills and added a team-best 8 digs, while Mateus Haubrich finished with 14 assists. At the net, Tinashe Makona posted 4.0 total blocks to lead the Warriors' blocking effort, and Patterson chipped in 2 aces. Bluefield finished the match hitting .290 and held an edge at the net (8.0 team blocks to Webber's 4.0) as Webber worked to overcome a high-error outing offensively.

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