March 20, 2008

Box Score

Erie, Pa. - The Mercyhurst men's volleyball team doubled its 2007 win total with a 30-18, 30-27, 30-28 victory over D'Youville Thursday. Four different players had at least eight kills for the Lakers.

The win moved Mercyhurst to 4-15 on the season, doubling the two wins the program had in 2007. D'Youville fell to 10-11 with the loss, hitting just .158 for the match.

Mercyhurst set the tone in the opening game by hitting .448 and rolling to the victory. The Lakers led 14-10 when Jeff Hartman sparked the team with a kill, followed by a D'Youville attack error and a Ron Cierniakoski kill. That run started a 12-2 scoring binge that put Mercyhurst on top 26-12 and the team never looked back.

D'Youville led for much of the early stages of game two and the stanza was tied at 23-23. Dave Newman and Jonathan Gurr had back-to-back kills and Mercyhurst never trailed again. Leading 28-27, the Lakers got kills from Gurr and Cierniakoski to close out the game.

Neither team could build momentum in the third game and the score was tied at 26-26 and 28-28. Newman had a kill followed by a D'Youville attack error to end the match.

Newman led Mercyhurst with 15 kills and Gurr added 14. Tim Wagner had 10 and Cierniakoski finished with eight kills on 11 swings for a team-best .727 attack percentage. The Lakers hit .315 as a team.

Mercyhurst outblocked D'Youville 8.0-3.0 and each team had 33 digs as Jordan Pierson led the Lakers with seven. David Hatten had 28 assists splitting time at the position with Pete Swauger, who ended with 18.

The Lakers will host MIVA conference opponent Quincy Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. Both teams are winless in league play this year.