Hamburg, N.Y. – The Marymount men's volleyball squad opened just its second season in program history on Saturday, sweeping Hilbert in straight sets (25-16, 25-19, 25-14) before dropping a 3-1 decision to No. 9 Nazareth (13-25, 22-25, 25-23, 12-25).

Rookie TJ Wiechecki paced the Saints' attack in the opener against Hilbert, registering a match-high 11 kills in the Marymount win.  Sophomore Tomasz Ksiazkiewicz smoked nine kills to supplement the offense, while freshman Erich Bratke proved the architect with 23 assists in the effort.

Sophomore Chris Lionette and freshmen Albert Johansson and Connor Choate collected ten, nine, and eight digs, respectively, on the defensive end.  Ksiazkiewicz proved the Saints' netminder with his match-high five blocks.

In the nightcap, the Saints took on a formidable opponent in Nazareth – the No. 9 squad in the country. 

After dropping the first two sets, Marymount saw the Golden Eagles jump out to a 3-0 start in the third.  Despite a Nazareth service error, the Saints still could not solve the host team, as the deficit increased to 5-1. 

Marymount rallied over the course of the set, however, remaining quite relevant and eventually knotting the score at 23-23.  An ensuing Nazareth service error and a timely kill by Ksiazkiewicz forced a fourth set.

The Golden Eagles responded to the third set loss with a palpable sense of urgency, using a six-point run at one point to increase their lead to 14-6.  While the Saints chipped away here and there, the Nazareth attack proved too much in the end, as the host defeated Marymount 25-12 in the fourth and final set.

Wiechecki and Ksiazkiewicz paced the offense with seven kills apiece, as Johansson chipped in six to round out the attack.

Marymount returns to action on Saturday as it travels to Mount St. Joseph for a four-match weekend.  First match is slated for 2:30 p.m.