WILKES-BARRE, PA (January 21, 2023) -- First year Ben Maskiell set a new program record for service aces in a three-set match as he accomplished the feat in both games of the non-conference tri-match, totaling 10 aces in each game, as the King's College men's volleyball team defeated both Pratt Institute and Brooklyn College by scores of 3-0 on Saturday afternoon. With the wins in McGrane Gymnasium, the Monarchs continue their strong start and improve to 4-0 overall. The Bulldogs stands at 1-1 with the split, while the Cannoneers fall to 0-2 to start the 2023 season.
 
vs. Pratt Institute – W, 3-0 (25-3, 25-6, 25-11):
It was a wire-to-wire win for the Monarchs as they dominated the entire match. After trading points to start the first set, King's (4-0) went on to score the next 16 points unanswered as they cruised to a 25-3 win in the opening set. Set two saw the Monarchs jump out to an early 6-0 advantage over Pratt (0-2) that they would not relinquish as they defeated the Cannoneers, 25-6, to take a 2-0 lead in the match. The final set was no different as a 21-6 start fueled the 25-11 victory in the third to secure the 3-0 win in the opener of the non-conference tri-match.
 
Maskiell set the new program record for service aces in a three-set match with 10, adding 22 assists, while junior Jared Piontkowski led the offense with 12 kills on 18 attempts with just two errors to hit .556 for the match while adding five digs and a block. First year Owen McFadden was extremely efficient offensively, going 6-for-9 with no errors to hit .667, while senior Sam Capwell posted a balanced effort of four kills on five attempts with no errors and a team-high three blocks. Additionally, senior Aziz Atiyeh recorded a team-high tying five digs, while senior Joe Herman tallied five digs, four kills, and two aces.
 
Jason Raymond led Pratt with two kills, four digs, and two blocks, while Brooks Reid dished out four assists and a team-high five digs.
 
As a team, the Monarchs hit an impressive .492 for the match, connecting for 37 kills on 63 attempts with just six errors. King's limited the Cannoneers to an abysmal -.184 hitting percentage with just six kills and 15 attack errors. The Monarchs edged out Pratt in every category, including points (59.0-9.0), kills (37-6), aces (18-0), blocks (4-3), assists (30-5), and digs (27-18). Additionally, the 18 service aces by King's ranks second in a three-set match in program history, just one behind the record set against Rosemont in 2020.
 
vs. Brooklyn College – W, 3-0 (25-13, 25-22, 25-7):
The second match saw a bit more of a fight from the Monarchs' opponents, but it was the same result as the opening match as King's defeated Brooklyn (1-1), 3-0. King's used a quick 6-0 start featuring points from four different Monarchs to propel their opening set win, 25-13, as the Bulldogs never pulled within six the remainder of the set.
 
Set two saw the Monarchs struggle for the first time on the day, hitting just .069 in the set, but overcoming their offensive struggles to come out on top. King's would led 7-3 early, but Brooklyn would go on a 6-2 rally to tie the set at nine a piece. The Monarchs trailed for the first time all afternoon as Brooklyn led, 14-13, but the hosts had a response as they closed the set on a 12-8 run to hand the Bulldogs the 25-22 loss in the second set and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The Monarchs rallied in the final set of the day as they would not relinquish their 6-0 start on their way to a dominant 25-7 effort to hand Brooklyn their first loss of the 2023 season, 3-0, in McGrane Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
 
Maskiell matched his 10-ace effort in the second match to tie the new program record for aces in a three-set match while adding 21 assists and two digs. Piontkowski paced the offensive effort again with nine kills, adding a team-high six digs. McFadden performed well again with seven kills on 11 attempts to hit .545, while adding four aces, three digs, and a block, and Herman added another balanced effort of six kills, five digs, and an ace. Additionally, Capwell led the Monarchs with three blocks, while junior Nick Greenawalt was efficient offensively as he connected for four of his five attacks to hit .800 for the match.
 
The Bulldogs were led by Armand Kaloshi with seven kills, while Dion Csikortos posted a match-high eight digs. Additionally, Admir Cekic tallied 13 assists with seven digs, while Fidel Maldonado recorded two aces and two blocks.
 
The Monarchs recorded a .284 hitting percentage as they connected on 29 of their 67 attacks with 27 assists. The defense performed well as they limited Brooklyn to a -.031 hitting percentage with 18 attack errors. King's led inside the stat sheet in aces (17-4), blocks (4-3), and digs (26-24). The team effort in the aces column also came up just shy of the program record of 19 in a three-set match as they 17 aces ranks third in program history.
 
--
 
The Monarchs will hit the road on Monday night as they take on Cairn University in Langhorne, Pa. starting at 6:00 p.m.