MADISON, NJ (March 5, 2025) -- The King's College men's volleyball team battled against Drew on Wednesday night. The Monarchs fell to the Rangers 1-3 in the Balwin Gym.
 
The first set was neck-and-neck with five ties and three lead changes. King's (11-9) evened the match at 6-6 after a block by Gavin Gilhool and Ben Maskiell. Drew (3-19) went on to score four straight tallies to gain a 10-6 edge. From then on, the Rangers had all the momentum as they scored two points for every tally made by the Monarchs. Drew took the first set 25-17.  
 
The Rangers maintained their energy from the first with a 4-1 start of the second set. King's chipped away at their deficit and after a kill by Logan Dougherty the match was deadlocked at 7-7. The matchup went point-for-point soon after with neither team allowing a greater lead than two. The score was 13-12 when Alex Martellacci scored two straight kills to force their hosts to call a timeout. Each side was going to battle it out towards the end when King's broke free with a 6-0 run to gain a seven-point cushion. The Monarchs stood victorious 25-18.
 
The third set was much like the first with seven ties and three lead changes. The score was even 12-12 when Drew produced a 9-2 push. King's pestered their hosts, but the Rangers had every answer. The Monarchs made one last 2-0 push before falling 18-25.
 
King's came back with vengeance with a 5-1 run that included Logan Aikens, Greg Bousquet, and Dougherty. Drew searched to edge the Monarchs, but at 8-7 the visitors created a 6-2 jolt thanks to kills by Bousquet and Dougherty. The Rangers came back late in the set with an 11-6 burst to tie the game at 23-23. The teams began trading points, but Drew got the final kill to remain victorious 26-24.
 
King's ended with 42 kills, 40 assists, eight blocks, and 53 digs. The squad witnessed three members earn double-doubles. Dougherty collected 15 kills and 11 digs. Bousquet was right behind with 12 kills and 11 digs with two blocks. Maskiell dished out 31 helpers and 13 digs. Gilhool produced four blocks. Aiden Glasgow tacked on 11 digs to end the night.
 
Drew finished with 35 kills, 33 assists, eight blocks, and 49 digs. Ephraim had 11 kills and seven digs. Gio Martin was right behind with eight kills and 12 digs. Andrew DuHaime passed out 26 assists and had five blocks.
 
The Monarchs will return to McGrane Gymnasium on Saturday, March 8^th to take on #8/#9 Messiah at 12 p.m. before heading into spring break.