The #1-seed Lancaster Bible College Men's Volleyball team hosted their United East Semifinal match on Wednesday night as they took on #5-seed Gallaudet, earning a 3-0 sweep and advancing to the conference championship game on Saturday. The Chargers improve to 16-11 overall while the Bison end their season at 10-17 overall.
 
How it Happened:
The Chargers capped a 5-1 start to set one on a service ace by Braden Escover (Fr.), then Gallaudet closed the gap to 6-4 before a kill by Carson Hoover (Jr.). The teams then traded points back and forth from there until another Escover ace made it 13-8, then the teams swapped pairs of points four times. Zeke Clark (Jr.) then had back-to-back kills to extend the lead to six, then the Chargers separated on a four-point run with kills by both Hoover and Escover. Kevin Bryant (Jr.) closed out the set with a kill to give LBC the 25-17 opening win.
 
Escover and Bryant each had kills and a block early in set two as LBC led 5-3, then a four-point Charger run later in the set made the lead 15-8 after a block by Bryant and Timothy Fletcher (So.) capped the run. The Chargers then added another six straight points with Bryant landing another kill and a block as LBC took command of the set, finishing it out 25-11 on a service ace by Fletcher to go up 2-0 in the match.
 
An ace by Clark gave LBC a 3-0 start to set three, then an early run of six straight points with two blocks gave the Chargers a 10-2 lead. Another run of five later in the set featuring a service ace by Matt Degan (Fr.) helped seal the deal, with the Chargers finishing out set three 25-13 and sealing the sweep 3-0 to advance past the Bison to the conference title game.
 
By the Numbers:
- The Chargers dominated in every category, out-hitting the Bison in kills 38-18 and landing 10 blocks to Gallaudet's three
- Kevin Bryant led the Chargers with 11 kills and five blocks while hitting .588 for the day
- Braden Escover added nine kills and two service aces
- Zeke Clark had seven kills and a career-high 16 digs
- Timothy Fletcher (So.) dished 29 assists
- The Bison were led by Zachary Bippus with seven kills and one service ace
 
Information to Know:
This was the Chargers' first-ever postseason matchup with Gallaudet and they improve to 8-0 all-time against the Bison. The Chargers have clinched a conference championship berth for the fourth consecutive season and the eighth time in program history (2013-14, 2018-19, 2023-26). The Chargers have won seven consecutive conference postseason matches dating back to 2023 and have swept 3-0 in all seven.
 
Up Next:
The Chargers have advanced to the United East Championship game on Saturday, April 11 to be played at home in the Horst Athletic Center, where they will take on #2-seed Wilson at 2:00 p.m. for the United East crown.