“This first match with Widener is important; we want to make sure we are focused and ready to go for that one.”
— Jason Garder
They’re on a roll.
After an 0-3 start to the season, Stevenson men’s volleyball team (6-4) has won six of the last seven matches, including three straight sweeps. The Mustangs hope to continue their roll and earn a fourth consecutive win Wednesday night at 7 against Widener at Owings Mills Gymnasium.
“Every conference match matters,” first-year coach Jason Gardner said. “This first match with Widener is important; we want to make sure we are focused and ready to go for that one.”
The Mustangs have built some momentum as they prepare for Middle Atlantic Conference play. Their latest win was against Randolph-Macon on Feb. 22 at Owings Mills Gymnasium.
Stevenson was up early in the first set 10-5, led by junior outside hitter Tim Flanagan, who had two of his 18 total kills at that point of the match. He has recorded 158 so far this season, an average of 4.79 kills per set, the third-highest rate in the nation. Flanagan was named MAC player of the week back on Feb. 5.
Stevenson stretched its lead to 16-10, forcing Randolph Macon to take a timeout. The Mustangs won the first set 25-19 and looked dominant on the defensive side thanks to strong outings from freshman libero Tanner Laukhuff and Flanagan.
However in the second set, Randolph-Macon made things interesting, jumping out a 5-1 lead early before Stevenson again would use their defensive strength to tie it at 5-5. Later on in the set, Randolph-Macon went on a 6-0 run to take a 17-11 lead, which forced the Mustangs to take a timeout.
Stevenson continued to battle through the second set, coming back from multiple deficits, cutting it to 24-22. The Mustangs fought off two more set points, and then added to two more to win the set 26-24. Designated server Micah Ernest was at the serving line for the final four points.
In the third set, Stevenson picked up where they left off in the second, battling to take a 10-6 lead. The Mustangs never surrendered the lead and led by as many as 5 points multiple times throughout the set. The ‘Stangs sealed the sweep 25-22 as Randolph-Macon could never close the gap.
“I thought it was a great win for us,” Gardner said after the match.
