The Emerson men’s volleyball team went 1-1 underneath the lights of the Bobbi Brown & Steven Plofker Gym this past Saturday. The doubleheader against the Wentworth Leopards and Colby-Sawyer Chargers was not only the last tri-match of the season for the Lions, but also one dedicated to the graduating seniors of the team.
The day started off rough for the Lions with an initial three-set loss to Wentworth. This would, however, prove to be nothing but fuel to the fire for Emerson, which stepped back onto the court at 2 p.m. to face Colby-Sawyer and walked away with a 3-0 win to end Senior Day on a positive note.
Game One: Emerson v. Wentworth
The Lions established themselves in the first set with a 3-0 lead on account of a kill courtesy from first-year outside hitter Ben Dorsey, followed by two more from sophomore right-side hitter Jack Miessner and junior OH Luke Roehm with consecutive assists from first-year setter Bayden Slavik.
The Leopards put themselves on the scoreboard after the initial streak from Emerson, and surpassed it. Wentworth went to work with their newfound momentum; Emerson’s initial aggression ground to a halt with a one-sided 8-1 exchange that left the home team trudging behind, 9-5. The Lions stayed inside the four-point gap throughout the set before they faltered with two consecutive attack errors, jumpstarting a 6-3 exchange in the Leopards’ favor that culminated in a 21-14 lead for the visitors.
The Lions, however, went down swinging with a 6-2 run; a group effort from Roehm, with an ace and a kill, followed by kills from Dorsey and Miessner and two attack errors from Wentworth bringing the score to 23-20. Despite the Lions’ resurgence, the Leopards crossed the two-point distance to victory and ended the set 25-20.
Wentworth was quick to establish their dominance in the second frame with a commanding 13-2 lead. However, Emerson managed to narrow the gap to just five points at 14-9, thanks to a 7-1 scoring streak fueled by two kills from Roehm—backed up by Slavik—and an ace from senior libero Jerick Lou.
Despite Emerson’s efforts, Wentworth steadily built their lead back up to eight points at 22-13 with three consecutive kills. The Lions made a valiant effort and scored their final three points of the set with two attack miscues and another kill from Roehm, but it wasn’t enough—an Emerson error and a final kill from Leopard OH Benjamin Moughon sealed their fate. With a game score of 2-0 in favor of Wentworth, the Lions needed to come back strong in the next set to keep their hopes alive.
The third set began with a steady climb to the top for Wentworth, middle blocker Tristan McDonough rounding out a 6-2 lead for the Leopards with back-to-back aces cut short by a service error that gave the Lions space to breathe. A 5-3 scrap in favor of Emerson saw kills from Dorsey and Miessner supplemented by three Wentworth attack errors.
The narrow 9-7 gap, however, was torn asunder by a relentless 12-4 streak from Wentworth, pushing the Lions back into a ten-point deficit at 21-11. Despite the setback, Emerson managed to rally and reduce the deficit with a 5-2 run, bringing the score to 23-16. A powerful kill from Roehm pulled the Lions within seven points of the Leopards, and a kill from McDonough paired with a subsequent attack error by Moughon kept the teams at the same 7-point margin at 24-17.
Leopard right-sider Jacob Waga put Emerson down with the final kill, resulting in a 3-0 wash over the Lions for Wentworth.
Roehm led the Lions’ offense with a whopping 11 kills and seven digs. The hitters were backed all the way through by Slavik, with an immense 23 blocks.
Game Two: Emerson v. Colby-Sawyer
Two hours after their win against Wentworth, the Lions were back with a vengeance, stepping back onto the court against the Colby-Sawyer Chargers. The Lions dominated the court early on in the first set, holding their opponents to a dismal -.095 hit percentage with the defensive skills of Lou, senior OH Neiko Pittman, and first-year MB Ramsis De Los Santos, holding the front line and returning the ball back to sender all set.
Emerson took control early on, building a commanding 9-1 lead with eight consecutive points thanks to two kills from Roehm, as well as a service ace from first-year libero Semaj Byrd, whose stellar serving forced several attack errors from the Chargers’ defense. The Lions would extend their advantage to double-figures at 16-4, securing seven of the next 10 points.
Despite a brief five-point rally by Colby-Sawyer, who narrowed the gap to 20-9 with three straight points, Emerson finished strong, scoring the last five of seven points to secure a decisive 25-11 win in the first set.
Colby-Sawyer mounted its resistance in the second set, the Chargers taking an early 11-5 lead on account of three aces beefed up by a netball serve and several attack errors from the Lions. However, Emerson fought back with a 7-1 run rounded out by a crucial swing from Slavik, to tie the score at 12-all.
Colby-Sawyer regained the lead at 14-12 thanks to a kill from Davies and an attack miscue from Emerson, but the Lions quickly regrouped and managed to stay ahead despite the Chargers leveling the score twice. The Lions reminded the Chargers who was in charge, holding them off at their 22nd point. Lou sealed the set with two consecutive kills, giving Emerson the 25-22 win.
In the third set of the men’s volleyball game between Emerson College and Colby-Sawyer, Emerson once again dominated defensively, holding Colby Sawyer to a negative hit percentage of -.222. The Lions started with a three-point lead at 6-3 and then went on a 17-5 scoring run to create a comfortable 23-8 cushion.
Although Colby-Sawyer managed to close the gap to 10 points at 24-14 by winning six of the next seven points, it was not enough to stop the Lions from securing a 25-14 victory with another set-closing kill from Lou, giving Emerson the 3-0 win over the Chargers.
Postgame
For Lou and Pittman, having the doubleheader take place on Senior Day was a special occasion for both athletes; not just as a celebration of how far they’ve come, but also a reflection. Lou, who hadn’t seen much play during the regular season, had the opportunity to shine, particularly in the second match against the Chargers, as he not only started in all three sets, but also led Emerson scoring for the match with eight kills and three aces.
“Opportunities are limited because there are only six people on the court at a time,” said Lou. “I got an opportunity and I made the best of it.”
Lou, who didn’t play on a club team prior to Emerson, was a walk-on to the men’s volleyball team. Despite this, he said, the team welcomed him without issue.
“It was very heartwarming,” he said. “They welcomed me with open arms.”
Pittman, like Lou, said that his experience with the team was nothing short of valuable.
“This team is one of the best things I’ve had in terms of school experience,” he said. “It’s been really awesome and I couldn’t be more excited and happier with this program that we’ve created.”
As the only seniors on the team, Pittman says, he and Lou have a special connection—one that he hopes to keep long after they hang up their jerseys.
“I love Jerick,” Pittman said with a laugh after being handed flowers by Lou. “He’s always there, always contributing. He always makes me laugh and is just one of the most reliable people that I’ve met […] after this, I plan on visiting him in Canada.”
The Lions have their next matchup in another homecourt doubleheader on Saturday, April 1 against Regis and Emmanuel College.
