WILKES-BARRE, PA (April 1, 2026) -- The King's College men's volleyball team faced a stiff test on Wednesday night, dropping their final Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) contest of the season to No. 2/3 Stevens Institute of Technology inside McGrane Gymnasium. The Monarchs challenged the Ducks in each frame, but Stevens closed out the match in straight sets by scores of 25-14, 25-21, and 25-11. King's drops to 10-16 overall and wraps up MAC play at 2-6. Stevens improves to 22-4 on the season with a perfect 8-0 conference mark.
 
Stevens jumped out early in the opening set, but King's answered quickly to prevent the momentum from building. Alex Schoch recorded the Monarchs' first point with a kill, and Brian Weaver followed with another finish to keep King's within striking distance. The Monarchs then capitalized on back‑to‑back attack errors by the Ducks to cut the deficit to four through the opening rotations.
 
Stevens began to apply pressure through the middle portion of the set, stringing together points to create separation. King's continued to look for footing behind efforts from Logan Place and Greg Bousquet, but the Ducks were able to extend the margin during a sustained run to move out in front 16‑10.
 
The Ducks later put together two separate 4‑0 stretches to push the set to the brink and reach set point at 24‑12. King's showed resolve late, as a kill by Nathan Yelinko followed by a Stevens attack error kept the Monarchs alive at 24‑14. Stevens, however, maintained composure in the closing rally and secured the opening set, 25‑14.
 
The second set opened with tight exchanges as King's and Stevens traded early points without separation. Schoch and Alex Martellacci provided the Monarchs' early offense, and a Bousquet kill helped establish a narrow edge through the opening stretch before the set settled into a back-and-forth rhythm.
 
Stevens tied the set at 7-7 before King's answered again. A kill from Logan Aikens followed by a Stevens attack error restored a two-point Monarch advantage. Martellacci continued to be a presence at the net, recording two key kills during the stretch to keep King's in front at 13-11. The Ducks responded with a three-point run to move ahead 14-13, but Martellacci answered with a kill off a Ben Maskiell assist to knot the set at 14-14.
 
The set remained closely contested into the later stages. King's stayed within reach as the score moved to 21-19, continuing to answer Stevens points and extend rallies. The Ducks were able to close out the final exchanges, however, securing the second set 25-21.
 
The third set stayed compact early with neither side creating separation. The Monarchs capitalized on a pair of Ducks attack and service errors to jump ahead 4-3 before a kill from Aikens helped keep King's in front at 5-4. Stevens responded with a decisive 7-0 run soon after, opening up an 11-6 advantage.
 
The Monarchs continued to battle as the frame progressed. Following another 3-0 Stevens stretch, Place answered with a kill to pull King's within six. Stevens ramped up the pressure from there, creating two additional lengthy runs to close out the set and claim match point at 25-11.
 
King's finished the match with 22 kills on 21 assists. Martellacci led the Monarchs with six kills, while Place added five and Aikens and Schoch contributed three apiece. Maskiell and Brady Taylor split setting duties, combining for 19 assists as Taylor led the way with 11.
 
Across the back row, King's recorded 21 digs in the match. Taylor posted a team-high five digs while seven other Monarchs chipped in multiple defensive touches. At the net, Bousquet and Aikens accounted for the team's two blocks as King's worked to slow the Stevens attack.
 
The Monarchs close out the 2026 slate tomorrow, hosting cross-town rival Wilkes University in a nonconference matchup. First serve against the Colonels is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.