The Emerson men’s volleyball team swept both the Dean College Bulldogs and Elms College Blazers on March 29 in a weekend tri-match that saw the Lions improve to 8-13 overall and 4-6 in conference play.

Their second match served as the team’s “Senior Day” game, where they honored senior setter Bryson Beck as well as juniors Chase Fagen and Liam Higgins, who will spend next spring, their final semester at the college, at Emerson Los Angeles.

Head coach Ben Read reflected fondly on the trio, first highlighting Beck’s growth with the program over four years. A leader by example, Beck was recruited as a setter but played libero for the first three years, a role that Read says he excelled at.

“He stepped up and killed it in that role,” Read said. “He was our best passer, led us in digs. He was just phenomenal for three years. And then we needed him to set this year, and he has done a fantastic job this year.”

Read added that Higgins and Fagen have “helped shape the culture” in their three years as Lions, playing key roles in Emerson’s last two playoff appearances.

“Liam’s been a rock in the middle, Chase has been all over the place,” he said. “[I] wasn’t really planning on Liam and Chase leaving as early as they were, so we have even more to replace. That’s gonna be extremely difficult moving forward, but [Beck, Higgins, and Fagen] have just done so much. They’re gonna be missed.”

When reflecting on their time with Emerson volleyball to this point, Beck, Higgins, and Fagen said they’ll remember the culture and camaraderie the most.

“It’s a very tight group of guys all the time,” he said. “Every single year no matter who comes in, who leaves, it seems to mesh seamlessly. And it’s fantastic just having a group of people you can go to whenever you need it.”

“My best friends are on this team,” Higgins added.

“Coming here is like my outlet,” Fagen said. “I get to put a lot of hard work in and see results … I love putting work in, I love being here with my friends, it’s a really good time.”

Junior libero Semaj Byrd, who honored his teammates’ request to sing the national anthem pregame, shared warm memories about his fellow upperclassmen.

“I live with Chase and Liam, so those are my buddies,” he said. “What I’m gonna remember the most about Chase and Bryson are their leadership qualities. They both do a good job with really chilling us, showing us how to be [good players]. We all have our ups and downs, but the one thing about both of them is that they will always encourage us, so that’s what I love about them.”

“What I’m gonna miss most about Liam is his smile and his energy,” Byrd added. “He is one of the funniest people I know.”

Game 1 vs. Dean

After a back-and-forth in the opening set, the Lions took a 13-7 lead following a kill by right side hitter Riley Goldman. Emerson controlled the rest of the set, winning 25-12 behind kills from sophomore setter Stanley Yu and junior outside hitter Theo Hackett. The second set was also smooth sailing, as Emerson’s fiery spikes and service aces gave them a 25-8 win.

Both teams found themselves in an 8-8 stalemate in the third set before Goldman fired off three aces for an 11-8 Emerson lead. Though Dean tied the set at 14 off of a block, the Lions separated themselves and led 22-18. The visitors attempted one more comeback before a Higgins kill, Beck ace, and Bulldog error won Emerson set No. 3, 25-22.

Emerson ended the first tri-match game behind nine kills from Hackett, seven from Fagen and four from Beck. Beck also led the Lions with a season-high ten aces as well as 25 assists.

Game 2 vs. Elms

The Lions and Blazers engaged in a tight battle in the opening set, as a kill by Higgins put Emerson up 12-9. The Lions’ errors eventually led to a brief Blazer lead, 14-13, but the purple and gold found themselves in front thanks to Fagen’s attacks, as the junior spiked the ball for a 25-22 victory.

The game of runs continued in the second set, as the Lions relinquished an 8-4 lead and soon trailed 20-16. Kills by Fagen and aces by Muse brought the Lions back 23-21, and Hackett’s soaring spike gave Emerson the second set, 25-22.

Elms took a brief 4-1 lead in the third set before the Lions stormed back, taking a 9-8 advantage following another kill by Hacket. The Blazers still had gas left in the tank, turning a 13-9 deficit to a 14-14 tie. After a flurry of lead changes, the Lions led 24-22 after another Hackett attack. A service error by Beck gave the Blazers another chance, but Hackett slammed the door with the game-winning spike. The Lions won 25-23 and completed their second sweep of the day.

Hackett and Fagen led the Lions with 15 and 14 kills, respectively, combining for 29 of Emerson’s 42 spikes in the tri-match finale. Fagen also tallied a team-high five aces, while Beck set up 36 assists to guide the Lions offense to victory.

Postgame Reflections

Read said the Lions were “awesome” in both games, despite some mistakes that carried over from game one to game two.

The Lions swept the Bulldogs in an away match after spring break. Reflecting on the differences between that game and Saturday’s, Read said the team was “still shaking off the rust” last time.

“We didn’t play our best, we made a lot of mistakes [last time],” he added. “This time around, the first two sets, we controlled it [from] start to finish. Third set, [we] started making mistakes … That carried a little bit over to Elms.”

Read noted how the team was “much cleaner” against Elms compared to their earlier meeting with them on March 20, when the Lions lost 3-1. He cited the Lions’ near-perfect play as “the difference” in the win.

Higgins said the Lions’ second match was a “good bounce back” against the Blazers.

“I do think it is an awfully bold choice to take a team you lost to earlier in the season and make them your senior day [opponent],” Beck added. “But, you can count on everyone to bounce back, so I don’t think any of us were really that worried.”

Fagen said their earlier loss to the Blazers served as motivation during Saturday’s match: “We were all really frustrated with how we played [then]. [We wanted to] bring it back and make sure they lost [this time].”

Read said that Saturday’s results—though contingent on other GNAC matchups—have put the Lions in position for another playoff berth.

“If we can win one or two games next week, we might be able to move up to a fifth seed,” he continued.

The senior day sweep put the Lions at fifth in the conference as of Monday. They have four GNAC matchups remaining, beginning with a battle against Wentworth on April 1 at 6:00 p.m.

Beck believes the team is not worried about the rest of the season, noting the opportunities that lie ahead with the playoffs.

“Get through there, fight game by game, we’re fine,” he added.

“Focus on the present, put in the hard work we need to put in, [and have] discipline,” Fagen chimed in.

Byrd said the team’s message comes down to reducing errors and focusing on themselves instead of their opponents.

“If we focus on getting the ball in play, we will execute,” he continued. “We’re a good team if we do what we set out to do. That’s what we’ve been preaching the whole season: reduce our errors, and we take sets and we get wins and we upset.”