Cresson, Pa. -- Mount Aloysius men's volleyball suffered a five set defeat against the Wilson College Phoenix this Tuesday, January 23rd. 

Leaders: 

- Junior Matthew Franz (Johnstown, Ohio, Bishop Hartley) led the Mounties in kills, picking up 23 across five sets. 
- Freshman Evan Schmidt (Loganville, Pa. , Dallastown Area) set his attackers for success, tallying a team-high 40 assists.
- Freshman Corey Obeldobel (Aliquippa, Pa., Hopewell) picked up 17 digs for the Mounties. 

How It Happened:

- The Mounties opened the match strong as Wilson struggled with errors and service difficulties, jumping out to a 17-10 lead in the first set. 
- After a short stretch where neither team could seem to put together consecutive scoring opportunities, the Mountie level dropped slightly, with three errors allowing Wilson to fight back to 20-23 late in the set. 
- A kill from sophomore Connor O'Mealia (North Chili, N.Y., Churchville Chili) would put the Mounties one point away, and despite some late attacking from the Phoenix, a final error would give Mount Aloysius the first 25-22.  
- The second would open hotly contested, with both teams finding trouble returning serve.
- The return difficulties would open back and forth runs, each team pulling ahead only for the score to even when the serve advantage was lost. 
- Tied at 24-24, the set's extra points would be categorized by swapped kills, until a final ace would give Wilson the set 28-26. 
- Still struggling with returning, the third would seem out of Mountie reach when a run of three aces and three kills would set the momentum Wilson's way, peaking at a 19-11 Phoenix advantage. 
- The Mounties would find the lead insurmountable, falling in the third 25-19. 
- Down 2-1, the Mounties would come out focused, pushing themselves to an 18-12 lead behind efficient attacks and controlled serving. 
- Two late three point runs from the Phoenix would prove stressful for Mount Aloysius as the score evened out, but a powerful kill from junior Austin Plummer (Summerhill, Pa., Forest Hills) would send the Mounties into the fifth at 25-22. 
- Wilson came into the final set firing on all cylinders, ending half of the first twelve points with kills. 
- Down 8-4, the Mounties would be unable to find consistent offense, failing to put together a meaningful run as the set winded down. 
- A pair of kills from Wilson would end the match, giving the Phoenix the set 15-10, and the match 3-2. 

Into the Box Score:

- Wilson recorded 50 kills across the match, compared to 43 from Mount Aloysius. 
- Both teams found some success with serves, with the Phoenix earning 7 aces and the Mounties 8. 

Up Next: 

- Mount Aloysius men's volleyball travels to King's College for a tri-match this Saturday, January 27th. King's enters the contest 2-0 on the season, while second opponent Bryn Athyn enters the weekend 1-1.