BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Medaille College men's volleyball team earned the three-set win (27-25, 25-21, 25-21) Wednesday night as they hosted cross-town rival Hilbert College in another conference match. Medaille College's SAAC organized a party after the game for the AMCC in celebration of its 25^th year anniversary.

The Hawks jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the first set of AMCC volleyball action off of their strong serving. The Mavericks charged back offensively featuring three kills from Matt Dickerson (Lockport, NY, Starpoint) to tie the score at ten. George Muriel (Hamburg, NY, Hamburg) also found himself on the stat sheet early with two kills assisted by Kevin Cashdollar (Clarence, NY, Clarence HS). Malachi Jackson (Cheektowaga, NY, Cheektowaga) continued to score at the net and service line but the Hawks managed to stay with them. Brandon Smith (Lancaster, NY, Lancaster) added crucial kills down the stretch to keep Hilbert from taking the lead. A Hilbert service error and Dickerson kill sealed the set win, 27-25.

In the second set, Hilbert had all the momentum early taking an 11-3 lead. Joshua Shiflet Jr. (Mechanicsville, VA, Lee-Davis) kept Medaille in every play defensively featuring multiple diving saves and digs to keep the Hawks off the scoreboard. Smith and Cashdollar's block fueled the Mavs as they went on to score nine straight points. Cashdollar and Tyler Hassell (Angola, NY, Lake Shore) combined for two blocks in the scoring streak with Hassell also adding two kills. The Hawks took the lead at 18-17 but Cashdollar's offense and Shiflet Jr's defense helped the Mavs to a 23-20 lead. Jackson added a kill for the 24^th point and a Hilbert error gave Medaille the 25-21 set win.

Medaille came out aggressive from the service line in the third set. The Mavs took a 15-5 lead with aces coming from Jackson and Gay Doh Htoo (Rochester, NY, World of Inquiry High School) while Smith and Hassell added kills from the middle. Hassell and Smith continued to lead offensively as Cashdollar looked to run a quick offense. The Hawks were not out as the Mavericks began to struggle to close out the game. The hitting errors helped Hilbert climb back into the game where they now trailed 20-23. The Mavs stepped up in the end with a kill from Hassell and another Hilbert hitting error to give Medaille the 25-21 set win.

Shiflet Jr. led the Mavs defensively with 21 digs while Cashdollar recorded 38 assists and three blocks. Jackson reached a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs while adding three aces. Dickerson also had a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs. Hassell and Smith both had outstanding games in the middle for Medaille. Hassell had eight kills (.316) with four block assists and one solo block. Smith had seven kills (.400) with one ace, two blocks, and five digs. Muriel added four kills with one block and five digs in the win.

The Mavericks return to play at home on Saturday, March 26 for a tri-match. The first game will be against Mount Aloysius at 12:00 P.M. and the second game against Geneva College at 5:00 P.M.