WILKES-BARRE, PA (March 16^th, 2024) --The King's College men's volleyball team split senior day against the Mustangs of Stevenson (12-6, 2-2 MAC) and the Pride of Regis (8-12). The Monarchs fell to the Mustangs 3-0 in their Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) matchup. The squad came out strong for game two and defeated the Pride 3-1. King's are now 15-5 (0-5 MAC) and continue their non-conference home win streak to 27 in a row.
 
vs. Stevenson University, L 3-0 (13-25, 15-25, 28-30):
 
King's had a 4-1 start that included kills by Nick Greenawalt (Sr.), Andrew Bafuma (Jr.), and Robert Oppedisano (Sr.). Though Stevenson was able to come back after a 10-3 run to take the lead for a score of 11-7. It was in the Mustangs control from then-on-out. Every time the Monarchs scored; Stevenson would answer back with two of their own. The Mustangs were able to make another 10-2 jolt to win the first set 25-13.
 
The second set was much like the first with Stevenson on top and having a 10-4 lead. King's searched for some momentum but their visitors responded back several times. The Monarchs made a three-point swing with a kill by Greg Bousquet (So.) to make it 19-10. The Mustangs ultimately won 25-15.
 
It was a must win set for King's and it was an electric one. The final set calculated the score tying 13 separate times and the lead changing five times. The score showed 4-4 when the Monarchs took a 7-3 push to get ahead and force Stevenson to call their first timeout. This run included points by Greenawalt and Ben Maskiell (So.). The Mustangs came crawling back as they had their own 14-7 push to take the lead with the score at 21-18. King's were not going down silently as they made huge plays that included kills by Alex Martelacci (Fy.) and Logan Aikens (Fy.) and they were able to tie it once more at 28-28. The third set ended in a heartbreaker as The Monarchs fell 30-28.
 
King's finished with 22 kills, 22 assists, five aces, five blocks, 20 digs, and a hitting percentage of .103. Both Greenawalt and Martelacci had five kills and two digs each. Maskeill produced 17 of the team's 22 assists to push the Monarchs offensively. Derek Perkins (Fy.) fueled the defense with five digs.
 
Stevenson ended with 48 kills, 42 assists, four aces, six blocks, 36 digs, and a hitting percentage of .494. Tim Flanagan sparked the Mustangs with 14 kills, 10 digs, and had a hitting percentage of .522. Aidan O'Brien followed with his own nine kills and four blocks. Justin Novoa had 21 assists, while Doug Hines dished out 19.
 
vs. Regis College, W 3-1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-14):
King's had a slow start in the opening set as they were down 16-7. The Monarchs produced six straight points that comprised of Ben Maskiell (So.), Nick Greenawalt (Sr.), and Greg Bousquet (So.) to get within three and force a Regis timeout.  The Pride were able to get back in a groove and after a final kill by Francesco Buanne, Regis won 25-18.
 
The second set was unlike the first seeing King's taking control with the score at 9-4 after adding four tallies in a row. The Pride continued to pester their hosts, but the Monarchs had every answer and maintained their edge. After a final kill by Bousquet, King's took the second set 25-19 to tie the matchup 1-1.
 
It was a battle within the third set as the crowd witnessed the score tie five times. Regis was ahead of the Monarchs early on before King's called a timeout. The home team evened the score at 15-15 when they went on an 8-1 run which included Greenawalt and Bousquet. The Monarchs had the audience on their feet with another outstanding 9-2 push. The Pride gained three straight kills, but that was not enough as Rich Alvarez (Jr.) made the final kills and King's remained victorious 25-10.
 
The Monarchs had all the momentum heading into the fourth and final set. It was 8-2 when Regis scored back-to-back points, though the Monarchs remained to have the edge. Every time the Pride would score, King's came back with their own tally. After several blocks by Maskiell and points from Bousquet, Logan Dougherty (Fy.), and Alvarez, the Monarchs broke free from their adversaries to make the score 24-12. Regis tried to make a comeback, but King's outlasted their visitors 25-14.
 
King's ended with 47 kills, 37 assists, seven aces, 14 blocks, 50 digs, and a hitting percentage of .169. Bousquet had a career high of 16 kills, three blocks, and seven digs. Greenawalt followed with 10 kills and eight digs. Maskiell dished out 35 helpers, three aces, and three blocks.
 
Regis finished with 46 kills, 39 assists, four aces, five blocks, 50 digs, and a hitting percentage of .169. Brandon Valdes had 13 kills, while Joseph Perez followed with 12 kills, three blocks, and 12 digs. Tyrell Bucasas passed out 21 assists with 10 digs and Alessandro DiPaola had 14 assists. Orlando Plagata fueled the defense with 16 digs.
 
The Monarchs will travel to Neumann on Tuesday, March 19^th at 6 p.m. They will return to McGrane Gymnasium for a tri-match against MAC opponent Hood and a battle against Drew on Saturday, March 23^rd.