The Emerson men’s volleyball team wrapped up regular-season play on April 5, in a tri-match against Emmanuel College and Rivier University. They were swept by Emmanuel before defeating Rivier—the team’s first win over the Raiders in program history.

“We’ve [beaten Rivier] plenty of times on the women’s side,” head coach Ben Read said. “Even [won] a GNAC championship [against them] 12 years ago. So, to do that today was awesome. We’re tired. [It’s an] eight-person roster, long season. Lots of potential injuries [and] scares, but they stepped it up and played inspired volleyball.”

The match also served as the team’s annual “You Can Play” game, supporting the “You Can Play Project” and advocating for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ athletes in sports.

“Especially at a school like Emerson, where it’s really encouraged to be yourself … it means a lot that our program is one of the frontrunners of pushing that,” senior setter Bryson Beck said. “We’re all very proud of the fact that everyone is comfortable with each other, everyone who can be who they want to be, and this is a nice little daily retreat from the turmoil of daily life. It’s a place where people can come, be themselves, and have nothing to worry about.”

Their 5-9 conference record and 9-16 overall showing were just enough to net them the sixth and final spot in the GNAC playoffs, their third consecutive appearance and seventh in the last decade.

Wrong side of a sweep

The Lions fell to the Saints to begin the tri-match. Despite keeping things close throughout each set, the Lions fell 25-10, 25-15, and 25-13 against a top-three conference opponent. Junior outside hitter Chase Fagen and sophomore right-side hitter Riley Goldman led the Lions with seven kills apiece, while Hackett tallied three. Beck finished with team-highs in assists (16) and digs (five).

“Emmanuel wasn’t our best volleyball,” Read said. “We started off trying some things. They’re a good team. … It didn’t go how we wanted, but we had some fire under our belts.”

Historic four-set thriller

The Lions and Raiders engaged in a tight opening set, building a 12-9 lead following a Goldman spike. Rivier came back and eventually led 20-16 when a spike by Fagen gave the Lions life. Back-to-back swats by Muse got the Lions within one, but the Raiders fought for three more points to take a 23-19 advantage. The set came down to the wire, and needing two points to win the set, the next few possessions were nothing short of electric. Following a Raider service error to give Emerson a 28-27 lead, the Lions won set No. 1 off of an emphatic kill by Fagen, who hit Michael Jordan’s iconic “shrug” to celebrate the victory.

In the second set, the Lions got off to a 3-0 lead thanks to two Fagen kills and a block by Goldman and Muse before Fagen briefly exited the game due to an injury. Following his return, two Rivier kills got them on the board. The Lions held 1-2 point leads until two Raider errors put Emerson up 14-10. The momentum stayed on the Lions’ side, as a block by Muse and Fagen and a Beck kill gave them a 23-15 lead. Spikes from Muse and Fagen won the Lions the second set, 25-19.

Spikes by Fagen and Muse gave the Lions a 2-0 lead to begin the third set. After a Raider attack error got the Lions up three, Rivier went on a 5-0 run, capitalizing on Emerson’s mistakes. The Lions chipped away and tied the set at 17 off of consecutive kills by Hackett, but the Raiders responded with three points of their own. The Lions rallied toward a 21-21 tie after another Fagen kill, and after a flurry of ties and lead changes, the Raiders secured two spikes for a 25-23 win.

The Lions started set No. 4 with an electric kill by Fagen before Rivier returned the favor for a 1-1 tie. The back-and-forth continued throughout the period, but the gym roared as Muse sent down a thunderous spike for a 10-9 lead. Both sides traded leads until a 5-0 Lions run gave them a 22-18 advantage, capped off by a Hackett attack. A three-peat of Emerson errors brought Rivier back into the game before a Raider serve sailed out of bounds, putting the Lions up 23-21. A Higgins block for set point brought the crowd to its feet, but Emerson committed three straight attack errors to give the visitors a 25-24 lead.

Higgins and Beck blocked a Rivier attack to tie the set at 25. After a series of errors that tied things up at 27, a Fagen kill gave the Lions the lead, and a Hackett ace gave Emerson a 29-27 win over Rivier.

Fagen tallied a career-high 26 kills, while Hackett added 17 of his own in an offensive clinic for Emerson. Beck finished with 48 of the Lions’ 51 assists, and Muse and Hackett recorded three aces each.

Postgame

Hackett said the Lions’ historic win over the Raiders came down to “pure willpower and determination.”

“We believed in ourselves, came together as a unit, and executed,” he said.

“Everyone contributed to this win and played their part,” sophomore setter Stanley Yu added.

The Lions will travel only two miles to face the Saints in the GNAC Quarterfinals on April 8 at 7 p.m. The last time these programs met in the postseason, the fifth-seeded Lions stunned the fourth-seeded Saints on the exact same stage.

Read said “knowing where to hit the ball” will be a priority against the Saints come Tuesday.

“They’re a big team, [they] serve tough,” he said. “They have hitters, they have blockers, but they do have holes in their block, and they do have holes in their defense. … They upset Lasell, who was ranked 20th in the country maybe last week.”

Read also emphasized the “underdog” mentality the Lions hold heading into the playoffs.

“There’s no pressure on us whatsoever,” he added. “So we can go out there, play free, and have fun.”

“If we do what we did [Saturday], if we come to practice with the mentality we’re gonna hit the shots we need to hit, we’re gonna make the adjustments we need to [and] scout them properly,” Beck said. “I don’t think we have anything to worry about as long as we play our game first.”