Charleston, W.Va.- Charleston men's volleyball earned a 3-1 victory over Daemen University on Saturday evening inside the Wehrle Innovation Center to close out day two of the UC Invitational.
The Basics:
Location: Wehrle Innovation Center – Charleston, W.Va.
Score: Charleston 3, Daemen 1 (25–19, 23–25, 25–20, 25–18)
Records: Charleston 2–1 (0–0 EIVA), Daemen 0–4 (0–0 NEC)
How It Happened:
Set one went the way of the Golden Eagles as both teams started off close, matching each other point for point. Daemen reached 10 first before Charleston tied it up at 10-10. With the set tied again at 14-14, UC went on a 5-1 run to take control and move to 20 points before the Wildcats. Charleston stayed aggressive late and followed with another run, turning a 21-17 lead into a 24-17 advantage. The run proved to be the difference as the Golden Eagles closed out set one 25-19 to take a 1-0 lead.
Set two stayed even early until Daemen caught fire and used a five-point run to turn the momentum and build a 10-6 lead. The Wildcats held the advantage the rest of the set and did not allow Charleston to tie it back up. UC stayed within striking distance, but Daemen reached 25 first to take set two 25-23 and even the match at 1-1.
In set three, both teams played with urgency as the set was tied at 4-4, 6-6, and 7-7. Behind scoring from Lucas Torres and Kai Cousins, the Golden Eagles began to pull away and built a five-point lead at 18-13. Daemen responded with a four-point run of its own to tie the set at 18-18, but Charleston answered immediately. After a service error from the Wildcats, UC turned the momentum into a five-point run of its own with two kills from Xander Bomert to regain control. The Golden Eagles finished strong and won set three 25-20 to take a 2-1 advantage.
With momentum on their side, Charleston carried its energy into the fourth and final set. Both teams came out swinging early as the score was tied 12-12 and stayed even until 16-16. From there, the Golden Eagles put together the longest run of the night, going on a 9-2 stretch to close out the match. A kill from Max Nissen and an attack error by the Wildcats sealed the win as Charleston took the fourth set 25-18 to earn the 3-1 victory.
Offensively, Kai Cousins and Lucas Torres led the Golden Eagles with 11 kills apiece, while Xander Bomert added nine. Conrad Spidsø finished with six kills and Max Nissen contributed three, while setter Yotam Briger paced the offense with 36 assists.
Defensively, Yotam Briger anchored the back row with nine digs, while Kai Cousins added five and Mikolaj Daszkiewicz recorded four. At the net, Erel Bardah finished with four block assists, while Pavlin Ivanov and Briger each added three in the win.
Up Next:
Charleston will head to Muncie, Ind. to face Ball State University inside Worthen Arena at 7:00 p.m.
