By: Nazareth Athletics
Senior Sean Dillon recorded 11 kills and also had five service aces as the Nazareth College men's volleyball team scored a 3-1 victory over Johnson and Wales Friday in the 2020 season opener.
The Golden Flyers (1-0) tied a school record with 18 aces in the match led by Dillon's five. Junior Antonio Sargent and freshman Kaleb Luton added four each while freshman Nate Allen had three and senior Joe Crosby added a pair of aces for Nazareth.
Nazareth won the opening set 25-21 before Johnson and Wales (0-1) answered with a 25-21 win in the second set to even the score. With Nazareth down 14-12 in the third set, the Golden Flyers went on a critical 8-1 run as Dillon recorded three aces and Sargent one ace to give Nazareth a 20-15 lead. The Wildcats scored a pair of points to trim the lead to 20-17 but Nazareth finished with five consecutive points including a pair of aces by Luton.
In the fourth set, Nazareth used a 5-1 run in the middle of the set to pull ahead 14-9. Johnson and Wales rallied to trim the lead to 17-15 but the Golden Flyers scored three of the next four points to regain control and the teams traded points down the stretch to seal the victory.
Sargent led Nazareth with 15 kills while Dillon had 11 kills and an impressive .714 attack percentage with just one error in the match. Crosby also chipped in 10 kills and a .563 percentage with only one error. Senior Luis Vazquez handed out 40 assists while he and freshman Seth Terzo had six digs each to lead the Golden Flyers.
The Golden Flyers won the season opener for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons with the victory.
Nazareth is back in action next weekend at the SUNY Poly Invitational in Utica as the Golden Flyers will face SUNY Poly and Wentworth Friday and Alvernia Saturday.