GREENVILLE, Pa. — The Marymount (Va.) University men's volleyball team defeated Thiel College on Friday night in a three-set sweep. In the Continental Volleyball Conference opener, sophomore TJ Wiechecki led the Saints with 11 kills, as they defeated the Cougars, 3-0 (25-20, 27-25, 25-18). Marymount moved to 2-2 overall this season, 1-0 in the CVC.

The Saints battled point-for-point in the opening set until a change of momentum came, after tying up the Cougars for the ninth time at 9-9. Marymount went on a 3-0 run following kills from Wiechecki and junior Tomasz Ksiazkiewicz to gain some breathing room. The Cougars would bring it back within two on several occasions throughout the set, however, MU was able to outlast Thiel and end the set, 25-20, after a kill from sophomore Connor Choate and an error by the Cougars. 

Marymount had to fight back after facing a 2-0 deficit early in the second set. The Saints were able to spread the offense around by answering with kills from Wiechecki, sophomore Ben Steranka, and freshman Eric Wiles, to tie the set up at three apiece. Both teams went point-for-point until Marymount found itself down by three at several times during the set. The Saints rallied back to draw it even late in the set, 23-23, after a block from Wiechecki and sophomore Graham Clark, followed by an error from the Cougars. Thiel took a 24-23 advantage after a service error from Wiechecki, but the Saints answered with a kill from Clark to retie the game, 24-24. The Cougars reached 25 first, but lost the lead after committing back-to-back errors. The Saints capitalized and finished the set on a kill by Ksiazkiewicz to seal up a two-set lead, 27-25.

In the third set Marymount struck first after a kill from Choate gave them the 1-0 lead. The Saints managed to build on this lead and maintain it for the entire set. Both teams were tied at two before MU went on a 6-1 run to build a comfortable lead. During the run, three different Saints put down a kill, once again spreading the offense evenly. After reaching an 8-3 lead, the Cougars were forced to take a timeout. The timeout did not stop the blue and white, as the team continued to extend their lead to as much as nine during the set. Sophomore Jordan Pawlicki set up Clark for the final point of the set and match, to finish the Cougars off, 25-18.

The Saints spread the offense throughout the match with seven different players notching at least one kill. Wiechecki led the offense with 11 kills followed by Wiles with 8 and Ksiazkiewicz and Clark with seven a piece. Sophomore Erich Bratke set the offense up, providing 29 assists for Marymount. On the defensive end, sophomore Albert Johansson led the Saints with a match-high 13 digs.

The Saints will continue on the road for a tri-match on Saturday, February 6. Marymount will face CVC opponent Juniata College at 1 p.m., followed by Wells College at 3 p.m. At the conclusion of this weekend's events, the Saints will open up at home on Wednesday, February 10 to host Stevenson University at 7 p.m.