CHAMBERSBURG, PA (January 17, 2025) -- In their 2025 season opener, the King's College men's volleyball team dominated the host Wilson College, 3-0, on Friday night. The Monarchs start at 1-0 overall, while the Phoenix drop to 0-1.
 
It was all King's (1-0) from the start, opening the match with the first six points, including a pair of kills and a block from Logan Dougherty. After Wilson (0-1) closed within four on a 3-1 run, the Monarchs responded to score the next 10 points to jump ahead 17-3 and cruise to the 25-10 set one win.
 
The teams traded points to start set two, but King's went on a 4-0 run to jump ahead. The Phoenix had an answer as they closed within one, 11-10, but another kill from Dougherty sparked four unanswered points. The set returned to a back-and-forth affair before King's solidified their 25-20 win in the second.
 
Wilson attempted to force a fourth set, coming out to a 9-5 advantage in the third. A Phoenix service error proved costly as it opened an 8-2 rally as the Monarchs regained the lead, 13-11. The host Wilson kept the set within reach, but with the score knotted at 16 a piece, another Wilson service error was the momentum shift King's needed to go on a 9-2 run to claim set three, 25-18, and the match, 3-0, to open the 2025 season with a victory.
 
Dougherty led the offense with 13 kills on 22 attempts, hitting .455, with four digs and an ace, while Ben Maskiell had 23 assists, 10 digs, three aces, and three kills. Greg Bousquet led the defense at the net with five total blocks and added eight kills, and Rich Alvarez totaled four blocks, three kills, and two digs. Additionally, Aiden Glasgow and Mason Lesher made their collegiate debuts with eight digs and five digs, respectively.
 
Wilson was led by Xavier Webber with nine kills and eight digs, while Demetrius Simmons had four blocks.
 
As a team, the Monarchs hit .279 for the match, dishing out 27 assists on their 32 kills, while limiting the Phoenix to a -.022 hitting percentage. King's also had the edge in aces (6-2), blocks (9-4), and digs (36-20).
 
King's will be back in action on Tuesday, January 21 as they travel to Kean University for a 6:00 p.m. match.