The Lancaster Bible College Men's Volleyball team played their first home game of the season on Thursday night as they hosted (RV) Marymount (Va.), pulling out a five-set victory in front of the home crowd for their first win of the season. The Chargers improve to 1-1 overall while the Saints drop to 1-3 overall.
 
How it Happened:
The teams traded the first 11 points of the match back and forth before the Chargers went on a four-point run, sparked by a kill from Zeke Clark (Jr.) and two blocks by Kevin Bryant (Jr.). The Chargers maintained a steady lead of about three points before LBC got another three in a row ending with another kill by Clark, then Bryant landed a service ace for the Chargers' largest lead of the set at 23-17. A kill by Jaiden Flanagan (Jr.) and a Saints error ended the first set with the Chargers winning it 25-19.
 
Bryant had two early kills for a 3-1 Chargers lead in set two before Marymount (Va.) landed three in a row to take the lead. The Chargers responded with four straight points of their own including a kill by Braden Escover (Fr.) and an ace by Clark. The middle of the set featured eight consecutive tied scores as the Chargers and Saints traded blows, with Devin Galloway (Jr.) landing a block for a 16-15 LBC lead. From there, the Saints took control of the set with seven straight points, holding off a 6-1 response by the Chargers and ending on an ace as they won set two 25-22.
 
The Chargers grabbed an early lead in the third set as a four-point run put them up 8-3 after a kill and an ace by Flanagan and two blocks by Galloway. That lead was extended to eight after another four-point burst, with Escover getting a kill and an ace, then another kill after the Saints scored two. Marymount (Va.) got back in it with a five-point run, but several service errors kept the Chargers comfortably in front. The Chargers ended with six of the final eight points as Flanagan and Clark picked up kills and Carson Hoover (Jr.) landed an ace to end the set 25-16.
 
The lead swung back and forth early in set four as the teams traded four-point runs, with Escover and Flanagan getting kills and Galloway and Timothy Fletcher (So.) combining on a block. With the score tied at 12, the Chargers rattled off four in a row behind three Saints errors and an Escover kill, but Marymount (Va.) would get even later in the set as they tied it back up at 19. The Saints closed set four like the Chargers did set three, scoring six of the final eight points to win 25-22 and force a decisive fifth set.
 
The fifth set was a battle that featured six ties, with Bryant earning two early kills and the Saints answering as the score was even at 7-7. After the teams flipped sides, Hoover landed an ace for a two-point lead, then Flanagan made it three on a big kill. The Chargers took control with a three-point run off two big blocks by Bryant, but the Saints fought back with three straight kills to keep their hopes alive. Finally, it was Bryant and Flanagan that combined on the game-sealing block that handed LBC a 15-13 fifth-set win and their first victory of the season as they opened their home slate with a win.
 
By the Numbers:
- The Chargers held a slight lead in kills 44-41 and had 13 total blocks to the Saints' nine
- Kevin Bryant led the Chargers with 11 kills and six blocks
- Braden Escover added 10 kills and three service aces
- Zeke Clark reached 10 kills as well with six digs
- Timothy Fletcher dished a career-high 35 assists and Nicholas Marion led the team with nine digs
- The Saints were led by Brady Wiggers with a match-high 16 kills and three service aces
 
Information to Know:
The Chargers are now 3-8 all-time against Marymount (Va.), ending a six-game losing streak against the Saints dating back to 2022. This was the Chargers' second straight home win over a team in the AVCA Coaches Poll, beating Stevenson 3-0 on March 15 of last season. The Chargers now have a 10-game home winning streak dating back to last season, their longest streak since 2020-2021 where they won 11 straight home matches.
 
Up Next:
The Chargers have another home match on Tuesday, January 20 as they host Wilkes at 7:00 p.m.