Springfield, Mass. – March 1, 2014 – The Springfield College men’s volleyball team won a pair of matches on Saturday afternoon in Blake Arena as they bested Baruch in five sets before cruising to a three-set win over Wentworth.

With the two wins, Springfield improves to 15-7 as the nation’s third-ranked team according to the latest AVCA Division III National Poll.

The doubleheader sweep featured some Springfield College history as senior Nick Ferry (Valencia, Calif.) established the program’s record for career digs. The four-year libero now has 918 digs, passing former AVCA Division III National Player of the Year and current professional volleyball player AJ Nally, who totaled 907 digs from 2007-2010.

Springfield 3, Baruch 2
In a rematch of last year’s NCAA Division III Championship Semifinal, the Springfield College men’s volleyball team battled to a five-set win over Baruch College on Saturday afternoon in Blake Arena. Set scores for in favor of the Pride were 18-25, 25-19, 25-21, 19-25, 15-7.

The Pride were able to overcome a season-high 34 attack errors thanks to best the Bearcats in a clash of nationally-ranked teams. Luis Vega (Corozal, Puerto Rico) had a team-best 15 kills, while Greg Woods (Middletown, Conn.) and Angel Perez (Naranjito, Puerto Rico) each contributed 14 kills. Nick Ferry (Valencia, Calif.) was sensational defensively, producing 17 digs, while Jimmy O’Leary (Reading, Pa.) registered five blocks.

Springfield 3, Wentworth 0
The Springfield College men’s volleyball team hit .515 as a team to cruise past Wentworth in straight sets on Saturday afternoon. Pride won by the scores of 25-17, 25-11, 25-11.

In the victory, Jimmy O’Leary (Reading, Pa.) posted 11 kills on 13 errorless attempts for a .846 hitting percentage, while Luis Vega (Corozal, Puerto Rico) hammered 10 kills at a .625 clip while adding six digs. Sean Zuvich (San Pedro, Calif.) fired five aces, and Nick Ferry (Valencia, Calif.) totaled a match-high nine digs.

The Pride will play again at home on Wednesday evening when it battles with in-state rival MIT at 6:00 pm.