DUE WEST, SOUTH CAROLINA - For the first time in the brief history of the Edward Waters Men's Volleyball program, the Tigers start a season at 1-0. The defending SIAC Men's Volleyball Champions opened their season on Friday evening with a hard-fought 3-2 (21-25, 25-22, 17-25, 25-18, 15-13) over Erskine College in a non-conference contest at Belk Arena.
Edward Waters (1-0) dropped sets one and three but were able to take sets 2 and 4 to force the match to a fifth and match-deciding set. In the final set, the Tigers fell behind by three at 7-4 before rallying to square the set up at 7-7. The two teams would trade shots, but a key 3-1 run for the Tigers would give them a 13-11 lead. Erskine (1-1) would only be able to come to within one point of the lead, but the Purple & Orange would be up to the task and capture the final set at 15-13 to earn the victory. The win for the Tigers also gives them their second-ever all-time victory over a Conference Carolinas team and extends EWU's winning streak to nine games dating back to last season.
For the match, the Tigers took a .325 to .308 hitting percentage edge over the Flying Fleet. EWU recorded 63 kills to 56 for Erskine, 57 assists to 52 for the Fleet, and outdug Erskine 34-29. The night would belong to junior outside hitter Kaelen Ingram, who recorded a career-high 26 kills on the night to lead the way for the Tigers. Sophomore outside hitter and team co-captain Richard Hendricks would not be too far behind, recording his best outing in his EWU career with 19 kills and ten digs. Junior setter Kenyon Haynes dished out 49 assists and also recorded three blocks for Edward Waters in the victory.
Edward Waters will return to the floor next Saturday afternoon, January 20, at 4:00 PM (ET) as they head up to Charleston, West Virginia, to battle the Golden Eagles of the University of Charleston in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
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