BEREA, Ohio - Baldwin Wallace University men's volleyball continued their brilliant run of play, sweeping Wabash (Ind.) College in back-to-back matches on Sunday night. The Yellow Jackets have now won six matches in a row.
Freshman Michael Beard (Hilliard/Darby) set a career-high with 23 kills in the opening match and became the first Yellow Jackets player in history to notch back-to-back games of 20 or more kills after recording another 20 in the second. His counterpart and fellow freshman Nick Irelan (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) had another big day as well, with a 15-kill day in the opening match. Setter Brandon Long (Hinckley/Metea Valley [Ill.]) became the first Yellow Jacket to tally a 50 or more-assist game, with 51 in the opener and 96 combined on the evening.
After some early back and forth play, the Yellow Jackets got hot. A 5-1 run that featured three kills by Irelan delivered a much-needed cushion as BW kept their foot on the gas to win the first set 25-19. Beard recorded eight huge kills, while Long added 16 assists to set up Beard and Irelan.
The second set proved to be one of the most exciting sets of the night, as the Yellow Jackets and Little Giants traded blows throughout the match with six lead changes and 10 ties. Wabash's attack percentage from the first rose while BW's fell, but the Yellow Jackets turned in a gritty effort to take the set 28-26. Irelan maintained a strong pace, adding another six kills to lead the way for the Yellow Jackets.
The Little Giants came out motivated in the third set. After the Yellow Jackets took a 4-1 lead, Wabash answered to keep the match close and force several ties and lead changes. Following an 11-11 tie, the Little Giants went on a 10-3 run and didn't look back, despite a late push from Beard, taking the third 25-19 and forcing a fourth set.
Despite the perceived change of momentum, the Yellow Jackets were up to the task, jumping out to a large 17-9 lead. Wabash was able to get the deficit to four points, but back-to-back kills by Kãmau Maka'ike (Hilo, Hawaii/Kamehameha Schools) sealed the fifth straight victory for BW.
The Yellow Jackets appeared poised to run away with the second match after a blistering 25-13 first set victory in the nightcap. Beard remained a focal point of the offense with six more kills in the set, but Long added two blocks and a kill to assist the offensive output.
Much like the first match, Wabash responded in a gritty fashion. While BW was able to take the second set 25-22, the Little Giants rode the momentum to a thrilling 28-26 third set victory of their own.
The Yellow Jackets weren't rattled by the third set loss and immediately answered with an 8-3 to start the fourth. BW never looked back from there, as Nick Reilman (Medina/Walsh Jesuit) added three of his eight kills to the mix to help seal another big victory for the rising Yellow Jackets.
The Yellow Jackets will get a weeklong period of rest before returning to action on March 6 and March 7 against Adrian (Mich.) College. The Yellow Jackets will serve it up at 6:00 p.m. for the first of the two-game set in Ursprung Gymnasium on March 6.
