WILKES-BARRE, PA (March 23, 2024) -- The King's College men's volleyball team witnessed career milestones and season-bests in the Saturday tri-match sweep. Ben Maskiell recorded his 1,000^th career assist during the second game of the afternoon against Drew. The Monarchs went on to defeat Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) opponent Hood 3-0 and maintain their non-conference home win streak with a 3-2 win over Drew. The program has 29 home non-conference wins in a row as they conclude their non-conference game schedule.
 
vs. Hood, W 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-20):
It was a battle to start the MAC contest as there were five ties in the opening set. King's were down 3-5 when they made a 8-3 run that included kills by Logan Dougherty (Fy.), Logan Aikens (Fy.), Nick Greenawalt (Sr.), Greg Bousquet (So.), and Gavin Gilhool (Jr.). After a timeout by Hood, the visitors answered back with their own 3-1 push. Though the Monarchs maintained their momentum and controlled the rest of the set. King's won the first set 25-15.
 
The second set of the afternoon was much like the first. The score was tied 8-8 when the Monarchs scored four straight points that comprised of Greenawalt and David Hernandez (So.) to take the lead. From then on, both teams began trading points with the visitors inching closer. King's prevailed and outlasted the Blazers 25-18.
 
The Monarchs maintained their momentum in the fourth and final set of the first match. The score was 17-9 when King's forced a timeout by Hood after a kill by Bousquet. The Monarchs went on a 4-1 run to make the score 21-10. The Blazers responded with their own 10-3 push to get within five. After a kill by Robert Oppedisano (Sr.), King's stood victorious with a 25-20 win.
 
King's finished with 42 kills on 40 assists, six aces, eight blocks, 34 digs, and a hitting percentage of .349. Bouquet had 11 kills, two blocks, and eight digs. Greenawalt also had 11 kills and Dougherty followed with his own 10. Ben Maskiell (So.) dished out 31 out of the team's 40 assists. Mike Bizzoco (Sr.) had seven digs.
 
Hood ended with 23 kills, 22 assists, six aces, five blocks, 24 digs, and a hitting percentage of .039. Charles Casas had a team-high of 11 kills and four blocks. Gael Bravo passed out 18 assists. On the defensive end, Sean Seely and Adam Bartice collected six digs each.
 
vs. Drew, W 3-2 (26-24, 20-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-10):
The first set of the matchup saw 15 ties and 10 lead changes. King's were up by three when Drew made a 5-0 run to get ahead. King's answered back with a 5-1 jolt, but the Rangers came back and made their own 5-2 push to get within one of the Monarchs. From then on it went back-and-forth, the score was 14-16 when King's went on another 7-2 run that included tallies by Greg Bousquet (So.), Gavin Gilhool (Jr.), and Logan Aikens (Fy.) to force Drew using their first timeout. Though the Rangers inched their way into tying the game once again. The Monarchs were able to secure a 26-24 win after a block by Logan Dougherty (Fy.) and Gilhool.
 
The second set was unlike the first as Drew took control early with a 6-2 lead. King's went on a 4-1 jolt that included kills by Dougherty. Yet the visitors continued to have the edge as every time the Monarchs scored, they would answer with two. The score was 21-15 when King's made a 5-3 comeback, but the Rangers ultimately won the set 25-20.
 
The third set was much like the first seeing 15 ties and seven lead changes. It was a set full of runs as both adversaries traded points. The Monarchs outlasted Drew with a 25-23 win.
 
King's had to win the fourth set in order to take home a victory, but their opponent continued to pester them every chance they got. The Rangers came back with vengeance and were ahead 6-2 and controlled the majority of the matchup. The Monarchs tied the game at 17-17 after a kill by Dougherty. Yet Drew was able to maintain their lead and force a fifth set. The score was 25-21 Rangers.
 
In the fifth and final set, King's came back with vengeance and forced a Drew timeout after a kill by Aikens to make the score 6-3. The Monarchs prospered and won 15-10.
 
King's ended with 56 kills, 52 assists, 12 blocks, and 62 digs. Dougherty tallied a new season-best with 20 kills, two blocks, and four digs. Bousquet posted a double double of 17 kills and 14 digs with five blocks. Ben Maskiell recorded 46 assists and five kills. On the defensive end, Mike Bizzoco fueled the squad with a season-high 16 digs and Gilhool had six blocks.
 
Drew finished with 58 kills, 57 assists, eight aces, seven blocks, and 66 digs. Jacob Sledz and Ephraim Smith sparked the offense with 18 kills each. Andrew DuHaime produced 14 kills and 13 digs. Omarf Ortega-Reyes had 50 of the team's 57 assists. Bryan Do earned a team-best of 19 digs.
 
The Monarchs will travel to Arcadia for a MAC matchup at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27^th. The crew will finish out the regular season with a MAC battle against Stevens in McGrane Gymnasium at 7 p.m. on April 3^rd.