Men’s Volleyball concludes four-day stretch of games with St. John Fisher tri-match

ROCHESTER, N.Y. --- Carlow University men's volleyball concluded a five-game, four day stretch with a tri-match at St. John Fisher University Saturday.

The Celtics fell to SUNY Polytechnic Institute, 3-0, and Baldwin Wallace University swept Carlow in the second match of the day.

vs. SUNY Poly: L, 3-0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-19)

Carlow played a competitive match against the Wildcats (4-5) to begin the day.

Gavin McLain (Acworth, Ga./North Paulding HS) led the Celtics with six kills, and Rohan Bhattarai (Baldwin, Pa./Baldwin HS) added eight digs. Luke Campana (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin HS) recorded four of Carlow's six blocks.

SUNY Poly led the entire first set, ahead 20-14, before a kill from Jaden Michalski (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy) set off a 6-1 run that saw the Celtics trailing 21-20.

The Wildcats landed three points in a row, and although Bhattarai hit a kill, SUNY Poly scored the match point on a Carlow error.

An 8-2 run early put the Wildcats ahead, 16-7, enroute to a 25-13 victory in the second set.

SUNY Poly went up 5-2 in the third set, with the Celtics later scoring three points a row to gain a 7-6 lead. Carlow maintained a marginal lead until a Wildcats kill catalyzed a 6-0 run to put them ahead, 15-11. Undeterred, the Celtics outscored SUNY Poly 6-3 to trail by one, 18-17.

A brief 5-0 run put the Wildcats up, 23-17, and SUNY Poly won the third set, 25-19.

Connor McDarby and Derek Gottler tallied six kills apiece for the Wildcats, while Nathan Zuber recorded a game-high nine digs. Gottler and Aiden Passmore scored three service aces each.

vs. Baldwin Wallace: L, 3-0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-8)

The Yellow Jackets improved to 4-0 on the season with a 3-0 victory over the Celtics in the nightcap.

McLain led the Celtics with three kills and three solo blocks, while Ryan Callahan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler Area HS) recorded four digs and tallied Carlow's lone service ace in the match.

Baldwin Wallace jumped out to a 10-3 advantage and went on a 7-2 run, gaining a 17-6 lead enroute to a 25-12 win in the first set.

Carlow kept it closer in the second set, with back-to-back errors by the Yellow Jackets and a service ace from Callahan saw the Celtics trailing, 12-10. Ahead 18-14, Baldwin Wallace scored seven unanswered points to end the second set with a 25-14 victory.

A kill from Caio Matos Machado (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Bishop Guilfoyle HS) saw the Celtics trail by two early in the third set before the Yellow Jackets went on a 14-2 run to lead, 20-6. Baldwin Wallace won the third set, 25-8.

David Thompson led the Yellow Jackets with a game-high nine kills. Tyler Harrington added six digs and Michael Mihalov recorded five of Baldwin Wallace's 17 service aces in the win.

The Celtics host Geneva College for a 7 p.m. match Jan. 28 at St. Joseph Athletic & Fitness Center.