FRANKLIN SPRINGS, GA - The men's basketball team hosted the Edward Waters Tigers on Friday afternoon. The Lions defeated the Tigers in four sets, 3-1, moving Emmanuel's record to 5-4 overall. 

The first set was led by the Tigers early on, 13-10. However, the Lions summoned a 10-2 run that quickly gave them a five point advantage in the set, 20-15. The Tigers responded with a 6-1 streak of their own that threatened Emmanuel's hopes of taking the opening set. 25 points proved to not be enough to settle it, but finally it was the Lions who walked away victorious as sophomore Carlos Guerrero, freshman Gustavo Cavalcanti, and sophomore Eli Zdonek all recorded kills to close out the set in favor of the Lions, 28-26.

The second set followed a similar pattern with momentum seesawing between the teams. Six unanswered scores from the Tigers in the middle of the set would end up being a deciding factor. Once again, 25 points wasn't enough. However, this time it was the Tigers who flipped the score, taking the set 28-26 to tie the match, 1-1. 

The third set was a dominant one for Emmanuel. They recorded their highest hitting percentage of the match, .339 while recording 10 kills in just 18 attempts. They went on to claim it by double-digits, 25-14. 

The momentum swings resumed in the fourth set. The Tigers opened an early lead, but the Lions quickly rallied back on top. Despite the tumultuous momentum turns, the score was eventually within a point near the end of the set as Emmanuel led 23-22. A kill from Cavalcanti got the Lions to set point, but two scores from the Tigers forced extra points for the third time in the afternoon. But the 19th kill of the day for Zdonek and an error by the Tigers gave the Lions the set, 26-24, and the match, 3-1. 

Eli Zdonek led the way for the Lions, posting a career high 19 kills while adding 3 blocks, 3 aces, and 2 digs. He also recorded an impressive hitting percentage of .419. Gustavo Cavalcanti followed with 13 kills, 5 aces, and 2 blocks. Harrison Coehlo recorded a career-best 6 blocks. 

Next up, men's volleyball will face Fort Valley State on the road this Saturday, February 19 at 6:00pm. 

For more on Emmanuel College athletics, visit goeclions.com.