Springfield, Mass. - January 21, 2023 - Competing against its first Division III competition of the season, the Springfield College men's volleyball team earned a four-set win over St. Joseph's on Saturday afternoon.  The Pride won by the scores of 18-25, 25-23, 25-13, 25-15. 

Springfield, which was ranked No. 2 in the latest AVCA Division III National Poll in now 2-0 on the year, while St. Joseph's dropped to 0-3. 

Jarrett Anderson (Largo, Fla.) was dominant on the right side as he tallied 22 kills at a .475 clip while adding six digs and three aces.  Dylan Mulvaney (Reston, Va.) tallied a career-best 40 helpers in leading the Pride to a .415 team hitting percentage and classmate Evan Costley (Simi Valley, Calif.) tacked on 10 kills, seven digs, and three aces. The Pride finished the day with 12 aces and owned a 32-17 edge in digs. 

The Golden Eagles used a 5-0 run early in the first set to seize a 11-5 lead.  Springfield would get as close as two points on seven different occasions in the frame, the last coming at 20-18 on a kill from Anderson.  However, the hosts would deliver five kills down the stretch for the 25-18 win as they hit .381 and totaled four aces in the game. 

 In the second, Springfield would produce 15 kills at a .370 hitting percentage, with Anderson accounting for eight kills.  The Pride jumped out to a 7-3 lead, only to have St. Joseph's rally to tie things up at 11-all. The teams would trade points to be tied 10 ties before a Golden Eagles service error and Anderson ace forced the hosts into a timeout at 22-20.   The Pride would go on to win a 25-23 set to even the match up at a set apiece.

Springfield stepped up its service pressure in the third, breaking open a 10-all game with four aces, including a pair from Ethan Weislo (Orchard Park, N.Y.), as it surged to a 25-13 victory.  Springfield limited the Golden Eagles to just a .091 hitting percentage while hitting at a .471 clip itself.

The Pride carried that momentum into the fourth as it hit .600 as a team, with Anderson turning in six more kills. Clinging to 9-8 lead, Anderson accounted for three kills as part of an 8-1 push as the lead ballooned to 17-10.  Springfield would lead by as many as 10 in the stanza and Costley hammered the team's 11th kill of the set for the 25-15 win.  

The Pride will next take on local-foe Elms on Tuesday night at 7 pm.