HAMBURG, N.Y. – The Medaille College men's volleyball game came down to the wire against the Hilbert Hawks on Wednesday night. Despite having to shuffle the lineup around due to injuries, the Mavericks edged out the win in five sets (25-21, 21-25, 25-18, 18-25, 15-13).

Brandon Smith (Lancaster, NY, Lancaster) took over setting duties for Medaille and connected with Malachi Jackson (Cheektowaga, NY, Cheektowaga) for the first earned Maverick point. George Muriel (Hamburg, NY, Hamburg) and Matt Dickerson (Lockport, NY, Starpoint) teamed up for a block to set the tone early. The Hawks worked hard to stay with the Mavs as Dickerson, Jackson, and Tyler Hassell (Angola, NY, Lake Shore) tried to extend their lead. Service errors down the stretch made it a game as Hilbert trailed 21-24. George Muriel (Hamburg, NY, Hamburg) put an end to the set with a kill as Medaille took the first set, 25-21.

In the second set, Gay Doh Htoo (Rochester, NY, World of Inquiry High School) grabbed an ace and a kill from Dickerson gave the Mavs a small lead which would not last long. The Hawks took advantage of the Maverick serve reception errors to jump out to a 10-5 lead. Hassell and Dickerson ended their momentum and the Mavs fought right back. Hassell played well at the net and Dickerson added an ace, but the Mavs fell short losing 21-25.

The Maverick offense would go on to have their best hitting performance in the third set. Medaille had 11 kills on 30 attempts hitting .200 to Hilbert's .037. Jackson led the charge with five kills while Muriel came up big scoring when the Mavs needed to slow down the Hawks. Medaille took care of business winning the third set, 25-18.

The Hawks exploded at the net in the fourth set grabbing 12 kills on 32 swings with only three hitting errors. Their .281 hitting average propelled them to a 17-12 lead over the Mavs. Dickerson had four kills, but Hilbert had all the momentum and took the fourth set 25-18.

With the game on the line, the Mavericks jumped out to a 7-1 lead as Smith spread the offense out. The Hawks proved to be a resilient group as they clawed back in the game. Dickerson's ace put the Mavs ahead 10-6 but Hilbert was not out. Hassell and Dickerson were both strong at the net as the teams traded points. The Mavs held a 14-13 lead with a Hilbert serving error sealing a 15-13 set win for Medaille.

Dickerson led the Mavs with 16 kills (.194), two aces, and six digs. Jackson recorded a double-double with 14 kills (.182), ten digs, and one solo block. Smith ran the offense with 39 assists while recording three blocks and six digs. Hassell hit .333 with eight kills on 18 swings while adding a block. Joshua Shiflet Jr. (Mechanicsville, VA, Lee-Davis) led defensively with 11 digs and one ace while Gay Doh had two aces and ten digs. Muriel had six kills, two blocks, and six digs.

The Mavs will travel to Cresson, P.A. on Saturday, February 26 to face Mount Aloysius at 12:00 p.m. and Hiram College at 2:30 p.m.