WILKES-BARRE, PA (February 12, 2020) -- Despite a third set surge that brought the Monarchs within five, the King's College men's volleyball team fell to No. 5 Stevens Institute of Technology, 3-0, on Wednesday night in their first Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) match in McGrane Gymnasium.

The Monarchs tied the match early at 3 before the Ducks used a 12-4 run to hold a 15-7 advantage. King's scored four straight off a kill and two aces by freshman Joe Joe Herman to close within six, 17-11, but the Ducks answered with an 8-2 run to end the set, 25-13.

King's scored the first two points of the second set off a kill by sophomore Matt Piontkowski before Stevens scored three straight to take a 3-2 lead. The teams traded points before the Monarchs used a 3-0 run to hold a 7-5 advantage, but the Ducks answered with a 13-2 run as they handed the Monarchs the loss in the second set, 25-15.

Stevens came out of the break with their momentum from the match, scoring six unanswered points to start the third set as they built a 15-4 lead. King's trailed by eight, 22-14, but would not go down without a fight, using a 6-1 run capped off with a big block from junior Danny Harpersberger and sophomore Liam Martinchek to pull within three. Stevens responded with back-to-back kills to post the set final, 25-20, and secure the match win, 3-0. 

Herman led King's (7-2, 0-2 MAC) with five kills, two aces, and two blocks. Fellow-freshman Sam Capwell added four kills, while freshman George Beck dished out 13 assists. For the defense, senior libero Kyle Duggan led with seven digs, and freshman Aziz Atiyeh added five. At the net, Harpersberger led with three blocks, while Piontkowski and Martinchek added two a piece.

Ryan Byrne and Nathan Lancia led Stevens (9-1, 2-0 MAC) with eight kills each, as Byrne hit .500 and Lancia hit .727 for the match. Grant Burden totaled 20 assists and five digs, and libero Owen Dawson led the defense with six digs. Four different Ducks recorded two total blocks, and three Ducks added two aces each in their win.

The Monarchs struggled offensively in this match, posting a -.050 hitting percentage compared to the Ducks' .233. As a team, King's posted 13 kills, six blocks, and 23 digs in the loss.

King's is back in action as they travel to Rosemont, PA to face Rosemont College and Elizabethtown College in a road tri-match at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., respectively. They return home in a quick turn around on Sunday as they host Yeshiva University and City College of New York at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. in McGrane Gymnasium.