THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- The No. 9-ranked Marymount University men's volleyball team emerged victorious in a battle of top 10-ranked foes on Friday evening in a 3-1 win over No. 10 St. John Fisher College. 

Marymount earned the win behind the three-headed attack of Ervin Harrell, Hayden Kerekes, and Raymond Tarasi. Harrell floored a team-best 15 kills and finished two digs shy of a double-double with eight. Kerekes and Tarasi finished with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Kerekes hit at a blistering .706 clip throughout the match. Sava Topich orchestrated the Saints' offense to the tune of 41 assists. 

On top of their balanced offense, the Blue and White tossed up 12 total team blocks at the net to fluster St. John Fisher. Mason Moore tallied a team-best seven blocks. Topich and Kerekes finished with block blocks each, while Tarasi and Harrell added four and three blocks, respectively. Chris Manganiello paced the Saints in digs with 10. 

The Saints came out firing in the first set of the match with a .300 attack percentage and 14 kills. The set featured 17 tied scores and eight lead changes en route to a 28-16 win for the Saints.

St. John Fisher fired back in the second set with a .435 attack percentage. The Saints were unable to keep pace as the Cardinals tied the match, 1-1. MU didn't let the momentum swing, however, as they earned a 25-19 win in the third set. Marymount pulled away late to earn the victory as a 3-0 run made the difference. Harrell floored two kills to push the Saints ahead, while Kerekes brought the set to a close.

The final set followed the script of the first, as the Cardinals fought back against the Saints to attempt to force a gift set. The Blue and White had the final say, however, and took the final set, 32-30. 

The score was tied nine separate times throughout the set as the Saints traded blows with the Cardinals. After Marymount t took a 14-7 lead on the heels of a 4-0 run, St. John Fisher battled back took the lead, 22-21. With the score tied at 24-24, the two sides went point-for-point down the stretch. Miles Olson started the Saints' final run with a kill to make it 30-30. A miscue from the Cardinals and a service ace from Grayson Andrews sealed the match for the Saints.

MU returns to the court at the Cal-Lu-Fornia Classic in a late-night bout against Aurora University at 10:00 p.m. EST. The Saints close out their time out west On Saturday, March 12, with a 3:00 p.m. tilt against Baldwin Wallace University.