The Emerson men’s volleyball team defeated the Fisher College Falcons on Feb. 20, earning their first win following a seven-game losing skid to open the 2025 season.
In the first set, the Lions jumped out to a 4-0 lead after consecutive aces by senior setter Bryson Beck, and eventually led 8-1 after a kill by senior outside hitter Theo Hackett. Emerson’s offensive dominance gave them a 12-2 advantage, and a double block by first-year middle blocker Cash Muse and sophomore right-side Riley Goldman put Emerson up 11. The Lions’ excellence on the attack and the service line propelled them to a 24-7 lead. Even after the Falcons rattled off three straight points, a Fisher error gave Emerson the first set, 25-10.
The second set began similarly to the first, with the Lions leading 8-0 after a three-peat of Beck aces. Errors by the Lions and defense from the Falcons soon cut the deficit to five, 9-4, before the Lions found their footing and pulled away once more. Contributions from Goldman, Muse, Beck, and Higgins helped the Lions build a 22-6 advantage, and an ace from sophomore outside hitter Stanley Yu brought Emerson two points closer to taking set no. 2. A Goldman ace and Yu kill won the second set for Emerson, 25-6.
Emerson rattled off four straight points to begin the third and final set before a service error put the Falcons on the board. The Lions stifled Fisher’s attacks while converting their own for an 11-3 lead. Back-to-back Fagen aces put Emerson up 15-4 before an attack error by Yu brought the deficit to ten. Hackett soared in for a kill moments later, which made Emerson lead by 12. Goldman excelled from the service line, recording four straight aces that put the Lions up 21-5. A few more Fisher points didn’t dent the Lions’ spirit, as they capitalized on kills, aces, and opponent errors for a 25-7 set win and their first sweep of the season.
Muse led the Lions with eight kills, while Fagen finished with six and Hackett five. Goldman recorded a team-high seven aces, with Beck not far behind with six from the service line. Beck tallied 24 assists while Yu had five digs.
Head coach Ben Read called the victory a “team effort,” noting how various players stepped up on offense.
“The team we played, they gave it their all, but they’re a younger team,” he said. “[Our first win] was kind of fun for us. We played an incredibly challenging schedule, multiple nationally-ranked teams, another team that competes at the D1/D2 level, so we’ve been very competitive with them. It was nice to get the win.”
Even through eight games, Read believes the team’s consistency can improve.
“We’re learning our systems and what works and what doesn’t work,” he added. “We could be a little more aggressive as far as attacking weaker serve-receivers on the other team, knowing where to serve and when, knowing where to hit the ball and when. But, our system is coming together … we’re doing good things.”
“The thing is with a smaller roster, we need everyone to—not be their best—but be on, be ready to play,” he continued. “If you have one or two guys that are off, we don’t have the bench to change it up that way.”
Yu liked how the Lions didn’t play down to Fisher’s level, adding, “We stayed at our own level, we tried new things, and everyone had fun.”
Though he’s an outside hitter, Yu shared libero duties with junior Semaj Byrd. Yu credited his versatility with the team’s regimen of rotating positions in practice.
“We have reps on every position cause we’re such a small team, so everyone plays every position,” he said. “We’re all used to it.”
The Lions played a tri-match on Feb. 22 against Regis College—a conference opponent—and Curry College—a non-conference foe. They defeated Regis 3-2 (18-25, 25-20, 25-17, 24-26, 16-14) and swept Curry (25-12, 25-20, 25-16). Up next, they take on Vermont State Johnson on March 1.
