BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Medaille College men's volleyball team won both of their conference matches at home on Saturday. The Mavs swept Mount Aloysius (25-6, 25-14, 25-16) before winning a thrilling five-set match over Geneva College (29-27, 23-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-10).

Game 1
The Mavs took the early lead in the first set with Malachi Jackson (Cheektowaga, NY, Cheektowaga) and Brandon Smith (Lancaster, NY, Lancaster) each earning two kills. Kevin Cashdollar (Clarence, NY, Clarence HS) added an ace while Matt Dickerson (Lockport, NY, Starpoint) and Tyler Hassell (Angola, NY, Lake Shore) combined for two straight blocks. Dickerson tallied three more kills and Gay Doh Htoo (Rochester, NY, World of Inquiry High School) recorded an ace to put the Mavs up 19-5. George Muriel (Hamburg, NY, Hamburg) grabbed two kills late in the set as the Mavs won 25-6.

In the second set, the Mavs continued to play strong defensively with Joshua Shiflet Jr. (Mechanicsville, VA, Lee-Davis) leading the charge. Smith and Cashdollar combined for a block and Muriel had a solo block to put Medaille ahead by five. The Mavs would continue their scoring frenzy from all areas of the court. The Mounties had no answers for the Maverick offense and lost the second set, 14-25.

The third set was much closer as neither team could pull ahead. Hassell and Muriel each added back-to-back kills to give Medaille some momentum. Smith and Muriel would both add aces in the middle of the set while Dickerson and Jackson helped the Mavs pull away offensively. Medaille secured the 25-16 win following a Mounties error.

Dickerson led the Mavs offensively with 11 kills and only one error on 20 swings (.500). Dickerson also had one ace, three blocks, and eight digs. Jackson also had 11 kills (.231) with one ace and six digs. Muriel finished with seven kills (.462), one ace, and one solo block while Smith had six kills (.556) with one ace and two blocks. Cashdollar had 24 assists, one ace, two blocks, and eight digs. Hassell finished with four kills (.429) and three blocks and Shiflet Jr. led the Mavs with 11 digs.

Game 2
The Mavericks made a statement in the opening set with a Dickerson and Hassell block. Muriel would pick up a pair of kills and Jackson made his way on the score sheet with a kill and an ace. Htoo picked up another ace on the day and Dickerson recorded a solo block to put Medaille up 15-12. The Golden Tornadoes would bounce back and take the lead, 23-22. A kill from Dickerson and another ace from Htoo gave Medaille the 24-23 advantage. Both teams traded points all the way to 27. Cashdollar linked up with Smith for a crucial kill and then Smith's ace gave Medaille the 29-27 win.

Dickerson was unstoppable going into the second set, but the Golden Tornadoes strung together enough points to take a 6-3 lead. Geneva put the pressure on from the service line to extend their lead to 13-8. Kills from Jackson and blocking from Hassell helped the Mavericks tie the score up at 15. The Mavs would take the lead, 23-21, but Geneva scored four straight points to win the set 25-23.

Dickerson got the Mavs rolling again in the third set with three straight kills all from Cashdollar. Shiflet Jr. continued to pick up on the Geneva offense allowing Medaille the chance to strike back. Dickerson and Jackson continued to be a force for the Mavericks while Muriel scored from the service line. Geneva would grab a four-point lead but Jackson and Cashdollar kept the Mavs in the game. Geneva made the final plays when needed to take the third set, 25-22.

With their backs against the wall, Medaille continued to fight. The Mavericks took a 10-5 lead featuring kills from Smith and Jackson. Muriel and Dickerson also found scoring success as Geneva tied the score up at 16. The Mavericks refused to quit and battled all the way until 23-23. Dickerson would grab Medaille's 24^th point. A scramble play had Smith take the second ball who set Cashdollar for the set winner, forcing a fifth and final set.

An early kill and ace from Dickerson kept Geneva from running away with the fifth set. Shiflet Jr. locked down the Geneva outsides and Jackson added three straight kills. An ace and kill from Smith put Medaille up 10-5. Dickerson and Jackson rolled some off-speed shots over the block to kill any momentum from the Golden Tornadoes. Muriel put the final kill down to complete the five-set win for Medaille.

Cashdollar had a very strong performance with 47 assists, five kills (.556), and 17 digs. Jackson recorded a double-double with 20 kills (.231) and 13 digs. Dickerson was very effective with 18 kills and three errors (.349) while also having three aces, four blocks, and nine digs. Shiflet Jr. had 19 digs while Muriel grabbed seven kills, three aces, and nine digs. Smith had five kills (.286) and two aces with Hassell adding three blocks and four kills.

The Mavericks will be back for Senior Night on Wednesday, March 30 against Penn State Behrend. The game will be at the Sullivan Center at 7:00 P.M.