WILKES-BARRE, PA (February 16, 2022) -- The King's College men's volleyball team hit .647 (12-17) with just one error in the second set while holding Wilkes University to a -.217 hitting percentage as they earned a convincing 3-0 win over the cross-town rivals on Wednesday night in MAC play in McGrane Gymnasium.

The Monarchs earn just their second MAC win in program history as the 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic while improving to 9-2 overall and 1-1 against MAC opponents. The Colonels drop to 6-9 for the season and 0-2 in the conference standings.

The crowd in McGrane Gymnasium on Wednesday night got the rivalry game they were looking for early in the first period. A back-and-forth bout saw the Monarchs leading, 8-7, before King's (9-2, 1-1 MAC) used an 8-1 run to lead 16-8. Wilkes (6-9, 0-2 MAC) showed some fire to end the set, but as King's led 21-17, the hosts rattled off four straight points to secure the 25-17 set one win.

The dominant second set by the Monarchs saw King's take the early 9-2 lead. After a few traded possessions with the Monarchs ahead, 12-7, King's scored eight unanswered points to build a 20-7 advantage that the Colonels could not overcome as the Monarchs won the second set, 25-9, to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Wilkes responded early in the third, taking a 5-3 lead, before the rivalry arguably saw the most competitive set of the night. There were eight ties and five lead changes that saw King's on top 19-17, but King's had the final word in the set as they scored six of the last eight points in the match to win the final set, 25-19, and the match, 3-0, in MAC play.

Sophomore Jared Piontkowski led the Monarchs offense with 15 kills on 22 attempts, hitting .500 for the match, with five blocks, two digs, and an ace. Junior Joe Herman added seven kills, four blocks, and three digs, while junior George Beck lent out 32 helpers. The balanced offensive efforts also got six kills each from junior Sam Capwell and senior Matt Piontkowski, as Capwell added five blocks while PIontkowski hit .667 with no errors. Additionally, junior Aziz Atiyeh and sophomore Mike Bizzoco added three digs a piece for the all-around team defensive efforts in the win.

Paul Binner led Wilkes with five kills, while Casey Shipman dished out 10 assists and totaled a team-high five digs.

The Monarchs hit an impressive .406 for the match, while continuing their strong offensive efforts by holding the Colonels to a -.029 hitting percentage. King's also recorded 36 kills on 34 attempts to Wilkes' 22 kills on 21 assists. The Monarchs also edged out the Colonels in aces (6-2) and team blocks (12-3).

King's will head out for an eight-game road stretch as they travel to Massachusetts this weekend to take on Dean College on Friday at 7:00 p.m. before a tri-match with Emerson College and Regis College on Saturday beginning at 1:00 p.m.