HARRISONBURG, Va. --Â The University of Lynchburg men's volleyball team fell on the road Tuesday night, dropping a 3-0 decision to Eastern Mennonite in their first ODAC contest of the season.
The Royals (4-6, 1-0 ODAC) claimed the match by set scores of 25-11, 25-11, and 25-16, handing Lynchburg (2-4, 0-1 ODAC) a setback in its conference opener.
Eastern Mennonite set the tone early, hitting .227 in the opening frame while limiting the Hornets to a -.176 clip. The Royals followed with an even more efficient second set, committing no attacking errors and posting a .458 hitting percentage to take a commanding 2-0 lead into the break.
Lynchburg showed improvement in the third set, turning in its strongest offensive performance of the night with 11 kills and a .154 hitting percentage. The Hornets stayed within striking distance midway through the frame before EMU used a late surge to close out the sweep.
Mason Kenna led Lynchburg with nine kills, and added six digs and two blocks. Wyatt Nunes paced the defensive effort with 11 digs, while Will Radi distributed 15 assists. Jourdin Filimaua and Joshua Davis each contributed two blocks at the net. As a team, the Hornets totaled 19 kills, 19 assists, and 29 digs.
Eastern Mennonite was guided by Derek Diaz's nine kills and a balanced offensive attack that saw three players record at least five kills. Ricardo Fernandez Perez dished out 15 assists, and James Powell anchored the net with eight blocks as the Royals finished the match hitting .366.
Lynchburg will look to regroup with another ODAC matchup at Bridgewater, along with a neutral site non-conference bout against No. 4 Juniata, on Saturday, Feb. 21.Â
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--LYN--
