The Lancaster Bible College Men's Volleyball team opened up United East Conference play on Thursday night as they hosted Cairn, cruising to a 3-0 victory to start their conference slate. The Chargers improve to 7-8 overall and 1-0 in the United East while the Highlanders fall to 4-15 overall and 1-1 in the United East.
 
How it Happened:
The Chargers got off to a hot start with the first 10 points, seeing Zeke Clark (Jr.) pick up three service aces. After a service error, the Chargers picked up five more points in a row with a kill and an ace by Braden Escover (Fr.), with several kills by Kevin Bryant (Jr.) early on as well. Clark added another ace towards the end of the set, then after a kill and a block by Bryant back-to-back, Escover closed the set with a service ace to win a dominant set one 25-8.
 
The Chargers led early once again in set two with a 5-1 lead, extending it to 10-4 after a kill by Devin Galloway (Jr.). LBC then scored four in a row off of three straight service aces by Carson Hoover (Jr.), then another three straight gave the Chargers a 17-8 lead. Bryant then added two service aces late in the set as Hoover and Clark went back-to-back on kills to close set two 25-13.
 
Cairn grabbed their lone lead of the match at 2-1 in the third set before several ties back and forth by the two teams, then three different Chargers landed kills to take an 8-5 lead. The Highlanders stayed within one point until a five-point burst from the Chargers, capped by a kill from Hoover for a 15-9 lead. The Chargers then won six of the next seven points to create more separation with help from several Cairn attack errors, then Bryant and Taylor Murlatt (Fr.) combined on the game-winning block to win set three 25-16 and secure the 3-0 United East sweep at home.
 
By the Numbers:
- The Chargers dominated every category, landing 13 service aces to the Highlanders' two and winning in kills 36-12
- Braden Escover led the Chargers with 16 kills, nine digs, and two service aces
- Carson Hoover led the Chargers with a match-high nine kills
- Kevin Bryant added eight kills on a perfect 8-8 hitting with four blocks
- Braden Escover had eight kills and four service aces
- Nicholas Marion (Sr.) recorded a match-high seven digs
- The Highlanders were led by Jesse Stuart and Justin Panaia with three kills each
 
Information to Know:
The Chargers improve to 12-14 all-time against Cairn in Men's Volleyball and have won the last 12 matchups with the Highlanders. This marks the Chargers' 21st consecutive conference victory since rejoining a conference in 2023, going 6-0 in the CSAC and now 15-0 in the United East since 2024. Lancaster Bible has also never dropped a set in any of those 21 matches.
 
Up Next:
The Chargers will host their final tri-match of the season as they take on Eastern and #9 Southern Virginia beginning at 11:00 a.m.