FRANKLIN SPRINGS, GA - The men's volleyball team hosted Fort Valley State University on Saturday night. The Lions defeated the Wildcats 3-1, moving Emmanuel's record to 8-8 on the season. 

First set:

The opener was a tumultuous one as the teams traded momentum surges. However, early errors ended up being costly for the Lions as the Wildcats produced a late run to win the set, 25-21. The Lions hit .111 while the Wildcats produced a mark of .360. Thankfully for Lions fans, this was the first and last set in which FVSU outhit Emmanuel. 

Second set:

The Lions incrementally improved to a percentage of .111 in the second. However, it was the defense that turned around the most. Five blocks for Emmanuel in the set held FVSU to a percentage of .033. After a kill from freshman Daniel Beacham, the Lions led 24-18. Beacham then combined with sophomore Jayden Young for Emmanuel's fifth block, giving the Lions the set by seven, 25-18. 

Third set:

The third set was the most dominant of the night for the Lions. They combined a hitting percentage of .381 with four more blocks, the first two being solos by Beacham as they held the Wildcats to a negative hitting percentage (-.029). Four of Emmanuel's 9 kills in the set came from freshman Gustavo Cavalcanti. His fourth was followed with a rejection by Beacham and sophomore Eli Zdonek, giving the Lions the set by double digits, 25-14. 

Fourth set:

Emmanuel recorded an extremely impressive 19 kills in the closer, hitting .455 as they continued to improve their numbers in every set. However, the Wildcats didn't go down without a fight. They also tallied their best percentage of the night, hitting .400. The Lions led 17-13 in the middle of the set. The teams traded kills for a few rallies as Cavalcanti and Young both put down back-to-back balls, but a charge from the Wildcats drew them within a point, 21-20.  Zdonek and Cavalcanti then traded kills, going back and forth to score Emmanuel's last four points and close out the game, 25-22, and the match, 3-1. 

Gustavo Cavalcanti led the way on offense, finishing with 19 kills, 4 digs, 4 blocks and a pair of aces while hitting .469. Eli Zdonek followed with 13 kills, 7 digs, 2 blocks, and an ace. Jayden Young recorded 8 kills, 6 digs and a pair of blocks and aces while hitting .316. Daniel Beachum notched a career high in blocks, stuffing the Wildcats 7 times. Sophomore libero Nicklas Eichenberger  finished with 19 digs. 

Next up, men's volleyball will host Barton College on Friday, March 18 at 7:00pm. 

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