Springfield, Mass. – January 31, 2026 – The top-ranked Springfield College men's volleyball team survived a five-set thriller with No. 11 Vassar College on Saturday evening inside Blake Arena. The Pride won by set scores of 25-19, 25-23, 16-25, 21-25, 16-14 and avoided the reverse sweep.

Springfield improved to 4-1 on the season with its second straight win over a ranked opponent, while Vassar dropped to 3-3.

AJ Seveland (Jenkintown, Pa.) powered Springfield with a 17 kill, 11 dig double-double to go along with three aces and a block. Nathan Goh (Germantown, Md.) added nine kill and four digs, Evan Costley (Simi Valley, Calif.) notched seven kills and three digs and Carter Durivage (East Greenbush, N.Y.) and Will Kirchhoff (Macedon, N.Y.) tallied five kills apiece. Dylan Mulvaney (Reston, Va.) notched 35 assists, seven digs, a block and three kills as well for the Pride. Seveland's 17 kills marked a new career-high for the senior outside.

Vassar was guided by Henry Bonney, who hit .488 with 21 kills only making one hitting error over the five sets. Walter Birnbaum posted 14 kills, ten digs, four aces and four assists, while Armaan Desai posted ten kills, three digs, four blocks and two aces for the Brewers. As a team, Vassar held the edge in kills (54-50), assists (53-46), aces (11-7), digs (41-37) and hitting percentage (.367-.302).

Vassar scored five of the first seven points of the match, but a kill and ace from Seveland ignited a brief spurt for Springfield tying the score at seven. After both teams traded points, another ace from Seveland paired with kills by Costley and Durivage gave Springfield the space in score it needed to claim the opening set. Vassar never got closer than three at 20-17 before a Kirchhoff kill sparked a set ending run for the Pride that was capped on a block through the middle by Seveland and Brennan Cutter (Trumbull, Conn.). Springfield hit a match-best .440 with 13 kills in the first.

Springfield went on to score seven of the first eight points of the second for the early edge before a quick run by Vassar tied the score at 12. The teams again went back and forth but down 19-18, two straight kills by Goh and then back-to-back kills by Seveland put the Pride ahead for the final time 22-20. A Costley kill and a Vassar error from the service line secure the second for the hosts, 25-23.

Vassar raced out to a 13-4 lead in the third  and then down the stretch used five straight points including a pair of aces from Desai to go ahead 20-12. Springfield was able to pull withing five following a swing by Joey Preische (Penfield, N.Y.), but a kill from Desai and an ace from Bonney gave the Brewers the third, 25-16. In the middle three sets, Vassar combined for 38 kills and hit a blistering .443.

Vassar forced a fifth set after a back and forth fourth that saw the lead change five times and had the score even on 15 different occasions. The Brewers held the nation's top team to just a combined 13 kills on 40 swings in sets three and four to push the match to the distance. Goh gave Springfield a 19-18 edge late in the fourth, but a spurt by Vassar that saw two kills from Birnbaum put the visitors up 22-20. Springfield climbed back within one at 22-21, but three straight points from Vassar pushed the match to the fifth.

The score was even on 13 different occasions in the fifth with neither team gaining more than a two point edge. A kill from Goh and an ace from Seveland made it 7-5 before the Brewers used a pair of Pride errors to take a 9-8 edge. Both teams went shot for shot before two kills by Seveland gave Springfield match point at 14-13. Vassar fended off one match point, but two miscues by the Brewers secured the five set victory for the Pride.

Springfield will host the 2026 Morgan Classic beginning on Friday. The Pride will host No. 6 Stevens Institute of Technology in the first match at 6:00pm, while Drew and No. 20 Hobart will take part in the nightcap at 8:15pm.

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