ARLINGTON, Va.—The Marymount (Va.) University men's volleyball team hosted Continental Volleyball Conference opponent Cairn University and Bluefield College on Saturday afternoon. The Saints defeated the Highlanders, 3-2 (25-16, 20-25, 25-16, 23-25, 15-10), in a tight five-set match. Later on in the day, the Saints conquered the Rams in a three-set sweep, 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-15).

Marymount vs. Cairn

Sophomore TJ Wiechecki, who finished with a match-high 15 kills, paced the Saints' offense. Sophomore Graham Clark was right behind him with 12 kills and hit an impressive .526 for the match. Sophomore Erich Bratke set the offense up by racking up a team-high 28 assists. On the defensive end, sophomore Albert Johansson scooped up 10 digs.

In set one, the Saints held a comfortable lead throughout the set. After taking a 4-0 lead, the Saints continued to extend their lead by putting together several 3-0 runs. Their biggest lead came after a kill from Wiechecki which finished the set, 25-16. 

The Highlanders struck first in set two to take the 1-0 lead. Both teams battled early on, but the Saints continued to trail. Marymount took a timeout after getting behind 13-10. Coming out of the timeout, freshman Remington Shahan put the ball down for a kill. However, the Saints were unable to overcome the Highlanders and fell short, 25-20.

Marymount's offense got rolling early in set three after kills from Bratke, Wiechecki and sophomore Tomasz Ksiazkiewicz gave them a 3-0 lead over Cairn. The Saints stayed on fire throughout the set forcing a timeout from Cairn after reaching a 17-9 advantage. Wiechecki finished the set once again with a kill to win 25-16. 

Set four proved to be a tough battle between the Saints and Highlanders. Cairn managed to strike first and take a 2-0 lead. The set consisted of eight ties and two lead changes early on, before the Highlanders pulled away on a 4-0 run to take a 21-15 lead. MU put together a few small runs to battle back, but it wasn't enough to take down the Highlanders, 25-23.

The fifth set started point-for-point until the Saints pieced together three different 2-0 runs. Cairn was forced to take a timeout after getting behind 9-7. MU kept up the pace forcing another timeout after back-to-back kills from Ksiazkiewicz and Wiechecki. The Saints ended the set on top 15-10 after a kill from Clark, to seal up a 3-2 victory. 

Marymount vs. Bluefield

Shahan led the Saints with a career- and game-high 11 kills as they defeated the Rams, 3-0. Marymount now moves to 6-4 overall, 3-2 in CVC play.

After going back and forth in points for both teams, the Saints took an early lead thanks to back-to-back kills from sophomore Ben Steranka. Marymount maintained a lead throughout the set, and ended the first set on a kill from sophomore Jordan Pawlicki, 25-19.

A kill by freshman James Knight started the Saints off in the second set. The Rams battled the Saints point-for-point until the Saints started to slowly take the reins after a 6-1 run, putting the score at 19-13. The Saints were able to maintain the serve for five points even though the Rams took a timeout in an attempt to stop their rally. A kill by Steranka ended the set, 25-14.

Marymount came out strong again in the third, taking a quick 8-3 lead after seeing kills from four different Saints: Wiechecki, Shahan, Steranka, and Knight. Although the Rams attempted to come back, the Saints kept their streak going, keeping their lead by at least four points throughout the set. Freshman Nick Reich ended the third set and match with a kill to finish, 25-15.

Pawlicki dominated the game with a career-high 34 assists. Wiechecki recorded a game-high nine digs, while Steranka put up another game-high of six blocks to add to the Saints' defense.

The Saints look to take on Wilson College on Tuesday, February 16 in the Verizon Sports Arena. First set is slated to begin at 7 p.m.