Charleston, W.Va-  The Golden Eagles hosted a strong Queens squad Thursday night inside the Wehrle Innovation Center, but ultimately fell in four sets as the Royals secured a 3-1 victory.
 
The Basics:
Location: Charleston, W.Va. (Wehrle Innovation Center)
Score: Charleston 1, Queens 3 (15-25, 22-25, 25-21, 23-25)
Records: Charleston 2-4 (0-0 EIVA) | Queens 5-1 (0-0 MIVA)
How it Happened:
Queens came out firing in the opening set, jumping out to an early 5-1 advantage and maintaining control throughout. The Royals extended their lead to 10-5 before a late three-point run pushed the margin from 19-12. After reaching 20 points, Queens closed the set on a four-point run to take set one 25-15.

Set two was tightly contested from start to finish, featuring multiple ties at 14-14, 16-16, and 18-18. A kill from Conrad Spidsø tied the set at 18, but Queens responded down the stretch and edged out the Golden Eagles 25-22 to take a 2-0 match lead.

Charleston answered in set three, showing resilience and refusing to let the match slip away. After an early Queens run created a 7-2 advantage, the Golden Eagles battled back to even the set at 11-11. The teams traded points with ties at 18-18 and 20-20 before Charleston closed strong, scoring the final three points of the set. Back-to-back kills from Conrad Spidsø and Max Nissen sealed the 25-21 win for UC.

The fourth set opened evenly with an early tie at 4-4. Queens briefly pulled ahead 8-4 before Charleston responded with a six-point run to take a 10-8 lead. Queens methodically worked their way back, evening the set at 13-13 before regaining momentum late. The Royals capitalized down the stretch and closed out the set 25-23 to secure the match.

Offensively
Conrad Spidsø led the Golden Eagles with a match-high 22 kills, hitting .559 on the night. Max Nissen added nine kills, while Braxton Francis and Joonatan Salpakari each finished with six kills.
Defensively
Joonatan Salpakari paced Charleston with 10 digs, while Yotam Briger contributed nine digs. Braxton Francis and Pavlin Ivanov each recorded two block assists at the net.
 
 
Up Next:
Charleston will look for a quick response as the Golden Eagles host Queens once again on Friday, January 30^th  at 11:00 a.m. inside the Wehrle Innovation Center.