By: Athletic Communications Student Assistant Joe Meyer '24
BEREA, Ohio - The Baldwin Wallace University men's volleyball team clinched a share of its first-ever Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League regular season title with a straight-sets victory over Trine (Ind.) University. The Yellow Jackets took down the Thunder by set scores of 25-23, 25-18, and 27-25 in the Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center.
BW (24-7, 7-1 MCVL) was led by junior All-MCVL outside hitter Michael Beard (Hilliard/Darby), as he recorded a team-high 20 kills on a .368 hitting percentage, including 11 kills in the decisive third set. Sophomore right side hitter Michael Devlin (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley) added 13 kills and eight digs. Junior outside hitter Nick Irelan (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) recorded a team-high .421 hitting percentage, finishing with ten kills on just 19 attempts.
Helping facilitate BW's strong play at the net, junior setter Brandon Long (Hinckley/Metea Valley, Ill.) dished out 44 assists, good for an average of just under 15 assists per set, and freshman libero Aiden Kim (Bothell, Wash./North Creek) tallied 16 digs.
Trine (14-11, 5-2 MCVL) was led by sophomore right side hitter Kevin Boncaro as he totaled a team-high 14 kills.
FIRST SET
- BW jumped out to a 12-8 lead, forcing an early Trine timeout.
- After Trine battled back to take a 20-19 lead, back-to-back kills by Beard put the Yellow Jackets ahead.
- With the set tied at 23-all, Beard broke the deadlock with a kill and painted the back line for a service ace on the next point, giving the Yellow Jackets a 25-23 win in set one.
SECOND SET
- A kill by Irelan capped a 9-5 BW spurt that gave the Yellow Jackets a 15-12 lead.
- Following a Thunder timeout, Trine brought the set back within two points (18-16).
- BW responded with a 7-2 run to close out a convincing 25-18 win in the second set.
THIRD SET
- Trine took an early 13-10 lead in the third set.
- The Yellow Jackets trailed 20-15 before consecutive kills from Beard, Irelan, and Devlin brought BW back into the set.
- The Thunder took a 23-20 advantage, but Beard once again came through in the clutch, delivering back-to-back kills to cut the Trine lead to one and shift the momentum of the set.
- Beard's reign of terror didn't stop there, as he made it four consecutive kills with back-to-back kills out of a Trine timeout, giving BW a 24-23 edge.
- On BW's third match point, Irelan tooled the Trine block, giving the Yellow Jackets a 27-25 win in set three and a share of the MCVL regular season title.
- Beard notched 11 kills in the fourth set, while Long chipped in 18 assists.
In just its third year as a program, the Yellow Jackets finish the regular season with a 24-7 overall record and a 7-1 mark in conference play. The team's 24 regular season wins are a three-fold improvement from last season.
BW returns to the court for the MCVL Semifinals on Friday, April 15, which will be played on the campus of the number one seed. The Yellow Jackets have clinched a top-two seed in the tournament and will host the MCVL tournament if Trine defeats University of Mount Union on Friday (April 7) night.
