BUFFALO, N.Y. – The D'Youville University Saints Men's Volleyball (8-6, 1-5) finished a six game homestand with a 3-1 win over Tusculum University on Saturday night.  

D'Youville University 3 vs Tusculum University 1 – 22-25, 25-16, 25-12, 25-18
Set One
The Pioneers took the early lead in set one jumping up 5-2. After a kill from Ian De Wilde (Lockport, N.Y. / Starpoint), the Saints brought the lead within two at 8-6, but the Pioneers would go on a run scoring six more with the Saints only scoring two. A kill from Jacob Malak (Wales, Wisc. / Kettle Moraine), a Pioneers error, and a service ace from Shaun Vattakuzhiyil (Sugar Land, TX / Elkins) brought the Saints within three. As gameplay continued, the Pioneers reached 24 and recorded a final kill to win set one 25-22.

Set Two
The Saints bounced right back in set two taking the 4-0 lead and then grabbing to more to go up 6-1. The Pioneers worked to stay in the game, but the Saints gained three more points following an ace from De Wilde to bring the score to 15-9. The Saints continued to climb as they led the match and a final kill from Vattakuzhiyil along with two Pioneers errors to give the Saints the 25-16 win.

Set Three
Gameplay started even in set three, but the Saints took the lead following a nine-point run featuring kills from Randy Adorno (Bayamon, Puerto Rico / Winter Park), Ian De Wilde, and Tymek Brzoza (Tychy, Poland) to take the 13-4 lead. As gameplay continued, the Pioneers chipped away to bring the score to 16-7. The Saints kept their foot on the gas scoring five in a row to extend their lead. Kills from Vattakuzhiyil and Malak would bring the Saints to 24 and after the Pioneers got one point back, Randy Adorno recorded the final kill for the Saints giving them the 25-12 win in set three.

Set Four
The Saints again got ahead in the fourth set but kept a close lead jumping up 6-4 after a kill from Brzoza. As gameplay continued, three errors from the Pioneers put the Saints up 19-13. The Pioneers worked to get two points back, but the Saints did not let up and scored three more following kills from Tymek Brzoza and Ian De Wilde to go up 22-15. The Pioneers offered up two more errors and a service ace from Kristian Smith (Zebulon, NC / Frankling Academy) gave the Saints the 25-18 win in set three and the 3-1 win in the match.

Saints Stats
Ian De Wilde led the Saints offense with 14 kills on the night while Randy Adorno recorded 29 assists in the win. As a team, D'Youville recorded 47 kills, 41 assists, and 38 digs in the four-set match.

Up Next
The D'Youville Men's Volleyball team hits the road for a non-conference matchup against Roberts Wesleyan University on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at 4:30 PM.