Springfield, Mass. - January 11, 2023 - The Springfield College men's volleyball team opened up the 2023 season with a three-set victory over Division-I foe St. Francis Brooklyn on Wednesday night inside Blake Arena.

Springfield, which was ranked No. 2 in the preseason AVCA Division III National Poll. improved to 1-0 with the win, while the Terriers dropped their first match of the season to fall to 3-1. 

Jarrett Anderson (Largo, Fla.) totaled a match-high 14 kills at a .429 clip to go along with seven digs and two aces, while Dylan Mulvaney (Reston, Va.) led the Pride's offense to a .347 hitting percentage as he handed out 28 helpers.  Noah Weislo (Orchard Park, N.Y.) contributed six kills, three digs, two blocks, and two aces and Braden Gonzales (Murrieta, Calif.) produced a match-best nine digs. 

Weislo rolled in an ace to cap off an eight-point surge as the Pride gained an 8-3 lead and forced the visitors into a timeout early in the first set.  Out of the Terriers second timeout of the game, Joel DeCamp (Simi Valley, Calif.) and Ethan Walters (St. Louis, Mo.) combined for a block to make it 18-11 and Weislo would seal the 25-15 win with a stuff block on the pin.  The Pride hit .474 in the opening set, getting six kills from Anderson, while also totaling five aces as a team. 

Trailing 9-6 in the second, Springfield put together a 9-3 surge as back-to-back attack errors by St. Francis Brooklyn put them in a 15-12 deficit.  Another solo block from Weislo allowed the lead to grow to 18-14, only to have the visitors answer back to make it a 21-20 game following an ace.  The Pride would score the next two points to gain some breathing room, and after Anderson crushed a kill off the block for set point, he went back to the end line and blistered an ace for the 25-22 win.  Springfield's offense hit at a .476 clip in the set, with Weislo and Anderson each contributing four kills. 

After building an 11-6 lead following a big swing from DeCamp, Springfield surrendered a 9-2 run as it committed seven errors, including four attack miscues, as the visitors opened up a 15-13 lead.  Springfield would call for a timeout and answer with a 6-1 push which gave them a 19-16 cushion after consecutive errors from the Terriers.  DeCamp and fellow middle Chris Rouleau (Bay Shore, N.Y.) combined four six kills on 11 errorless attempts in the frame, with Rouleau sealing the 25-21 win with his fifth kill of the night. 

Springfield will open up Division III competition against St. Joseph's (LI) on January 21 after it returns from its annual trip to California.