The Lancaster Bible College Men's Volleyball team traveled to Newark, N.J. on Thursday evening to take on #15-ranked Rutgers-Newark in non-conference play, falling in straight sets 3-0. The Chargers drop to 9-10 overall and 2-0 in the United East while the Scarlet Raiders improve to 13-4 overall and 1-0 in the CVC.
 
How it Happened:
The Chargers took an early 4-2 lead in the first set with kills by Kevin Bryant (Jr.) and Braden Escover (Fr.), but Rutgers-Newark used a 5-1 run to swing ahead 7-5. The Chargers tied it up at 7-7, then the teams traded seven in a row before the Chargers got a service ace from Escover to cut the lead to one at 13-12. The teams went back and forth throughout the middle of the set as the Scarlet Raiders held a slight edge, then won three of the final four points to seal the opening set 25-21.
 
Rutgers-Newark opened up a 3-0 lead to start set two, then the Chargers tied the game at six and seven including a kill from Zeke Clark (Jr.). the Chargers then used a five-point run to power ahead 12-8 as Devin Galloway (Jr.) and Timothy Fletcher (So.) both had two blocks on the run. The Scarlet Raiders closed the gap quickly to tie the set, then the next 11 points traded hands before the home team swung back ahead 21-19 late in the set. An Escover kill tied it at 22-all, but Rutgers-Newark held on to win a close set 25-23.
 
Escover powered the Chargers early in set three with a pair of kills for a 5-4 lead, then the Scarlet Raiders used a run of three to grab the lead. Another quick run got Rutgers-Newark up by three points, then the Chargers went on another five-point burst to swing ahead 15-13 as Escover had an ace and Carson Hoover (Jr.) combined with Bryant on a block. The Scarlet Raiders responded with their longest run of the match at four in a row, never relinquishing the lead as they closed out the Chargers in another close set 25-23 to earn the home sweep.
 
By the Numbers:
- The Chargers had three blocks to the Scarlet Raiders' two while Rutgers-Newark won the kills battle 49-37, with the teams landing two service aces each
- Braden Escover led the Chargers with 11 kills on .444 hitting with two service aces
- Zeke Clark added 10 kills and a team-high six digs
- Kevin Bryant added 10 kills on a .381 hitting clip with four total blocks
- Timothy Fletcher registered 31 assists and two blocks
- The Scarlet Raiders were led by Michael Suarez with a match-high 16 kills
 
Information to Know:
The Chargers are now 2-4 all-time against Rutgers-Newark and played the Scarlet Raiders as a ranked opponent for the first time since 2023.
 
Up Next:
The Chargers remain on the road next Wednesday, March 11 as they resume United East play with a matchup at Saint Elizabeth at 7:00 p.m.