ARLINGTON, Va.— The No. 15 Marymount (Va.) University men's volleyball squad cruised past the Scarlet Raiders of Rutgers University-Newark in a Continental Volleyball Conference matchup on Friday night. The Saints downed the Raiders in a three-set sweep, 3-0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-22). 

In set one, it was a close tilt from the start. The Saints built a five-point lead mid-way though the set following a 5-0 run led by freshman Sam Safley and juniors TJ Wiechecki and Erich Bratke who each added a kill. The Raiders rallied back to get within three, 19-16, forcing the Saints to use a timeout. MU fell behind late in the set, but battled its way back in and pieced together a 4-0 run to end the set on top, 25-23.

The momentum carried over into set two, as the Saints mounted an impressive 10-5 lead early on. The Saints continued to swing on the offensive end, seeing their biggest lead at 22-10, following back-to-back kills by sophomore Eric Wiles and a kill from Safley. Marymount went on to secure a victory in set two, 25-13.

Back-to-back kills from junior Graham Clark kicked things off in set three to give the Saints a 2-0 advantage. The momentum shifted back-and-forth as the teams traded points through much of the set. Safley sparked a 3-0 run mid-set to give Marymount a slight lead over Rutgers, 17-16.  MU was able to outlast the Raiders, 25-22, following a kill by sophomore Alex Treser and a Raider error.

Safley paced the Saints on the offensive end, registering a game-high 10 kills while hitting .444. Bratke and freshman Joseph Zanelotti split time in the setter position, posting 21 and 13 assists, respectively. Junior Connor Choate notched a game-high 13 digs on the defensive end. 

The Saints will host another CVC opponent, Cairn University, on Saturday, February 25. First serve is set for 1 p.m.