ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Marymount University men's volleyball team played its first home match of the season on Wednesday evening against No. 6-ranked Messiah University, where it continued its trend of three-set wins to open the campaign with a straight-sets-sweep of the Falcons.

The Blue and White jumped headlong into a battle against their nationally-ranked foes and pieced together a stellar defensive effort to defeat the ranked Falcons. MU held the visitors to a paltry -.031 attack percentage, which allowed the Saints to keep Messiah at bay. Marymount finished the tilt with 12 total blocks which flustered the Falcons throughout the match. 

The Saints matched the Falcons point for point in the first set up until the score was tied at 10. Sava Topich registered a kill which was followed by several errors from the Falcons, which gave the Saints a five-point lead. MU held its edge the rest of the way and took the set, 25-18. 

With the momentum firmly on their side of the court, the Blue and White raced away with the second set. MU worked its way to a 15-6 lead and then used a six-point run to jump out to a 20-6 lead. A service error by the Falcons eventually brought the frame to a close at 25-11. 

Seniors Jason Perkins and Raymond Tarasi started the third set off for the Saints with a kill and a service ace, respectively. The Saints continued their dominance from the second frame in the third set with a final score of 25-18 and a stellar .316 attack percentage.

Tarasi, Perkins, and Ervin Harrel led the Saints in kills with five each, and Harrel led in digs, registering five. Hayden Kerekes registered a match-best five total blocks, while Tarasi finished with five and Topich added two.

The Saints return to the court on Saturday, January 22, as they aim to continue their winning start to the season against Penn State Behrend and Arcadia University. The matches are set to begin at 12:00 pm and 5:00 pm, respectively.