WILKES-BARRE, PA (February 4, 2024) -- The King's College men's volleyball team had yet another tri-meet sweep in McGrane Gymnasium. The Monarchs (6-0) defeated the Patriots of Valley Forge (2-1) 3-0 and dropped the Bears of St. Joseph's University Brooklyn (0-5) 3-0 on Saturday.
 
vs. University of Valley Forge – W, 3-0 (25-10, 25-8, 25-12)
King's controlled the first set right out of the gate with a 5-1 start that included two aces by Nick Greenawalt (Sr.) and a kill by Logan Dougherty (Fy.). Valley Forge tried to create some momentum, but the Monarchs had every answer. With two straight tallies by Ben Maskiell (So.) and Dougherty, King's won 25-10.
 
The second set was much like the first with King's being up 10-4. The Patriots' Clay Confer had a kill to push the offense but the Monarchs answered back with three straight kills by Greg Bousquet (So.) and Greenawalt. King's eventually polished off a 25-8 victory after a final kill by Greenawalt.
 
The Monarchs continued to dominate within the third and final set of the match. The score was 16-5 when Valley Forge produced a 3-1 jolt. Though King's prevailed and had another 8-4 run to take a 25-12 win.
 
King's ended the afternoon with 26 kills, 21 assists, eight aces, nine blocks, 18 digs, and a hitting percentage of .556. Greenawalt and Dougherty each had six kills. Dougherty also had a team high of four digs. Bousquet followed with five kills and a hitting percentage of .625.  Maskiell added 15 assists, three kills, and three blocks to the stat sheet. On the defensive end, Gavin Gilhool (Jr.) earned a personal best of five blocks with three kills.
 
Valley Forge finished with 14 kills, 13 assists, 15 digs, and a hitting percentage of -.127. The crew witnessed Toby Harris and Tyler Younger earn four kills. Paul Brown had 10 helpers and Jordan Kieffer had five digs.
 
vs. St. Joseph's University Brooklyn – W, 3-0 (25-12, 25-11, 25-7)
 
In the first set, King's had the competitive edge with a 14-5 start that comprised of kills by Nick Greenawalt (Sr.), Greg Bousquet (So.), Logan Dougherty (Fy.), and Gavin Gilhool (Jr.). St. Joseph's had a 3 point swing to make it 16-8. The Monarchs prevailed and celebrated a 25-12 victory after a kill by Alex Martelacci (Fy.).
 
The second set started off as a battle, but King's were able to break free early to create a 22-9 cushion. The Bears made a final push in the final points of the set with back-to-back kills by Alex Helfant. After a kill by Dougherty, the Monarchs won 25-11.
 
In the third and final set of the day, King's had another hot start with an 18-4 burst. This run included kills by Greenawalt, Bousquet, Dougherty, and Gilhool. After a timeout by St. Joseph's the Bears were able to get back on the board with a kill by Frank Rivera. The Monarchs delivered the final five points to take the third set 25-7.
 
The Monarchs accumulated 35 kills, 32 assists, seven aces, seven blocks, 27 digs, and a hitting percentage of .441. Dougherty led the squad with 14 kills with a hitting percentage of .667 and had two blocks. Aidan Kraus (Jr.) had 16 helpers with Ben Maskiell (So.) right behind him with 15. Greenawalt recorded seven digs, three aces, and 5 kills.
 
The Bears had 14 kills, 13 assists, 11 digs, and a hitting percentage of -.061. Alex Helfant set a standard for eight kills and five digs. Keiran McMullan dished out 12 assists.
 
King's have their first road test on Friday, February 9^th at 6 p.m. to take on Dean College. The group will travel to Boston on Saturday, February 10^th to have a two-game showdown against Fisher College. Both games are scheduled for 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.