Victory Unleashed: Men’s Volleyball Triumphs Over No. 14 Misericordia in Season Kickoff at Messiah Invitational

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – The Baldwin Wallace University men’s volleyball commenced the 2025 season at the Messiah Invitational held by Messiah (Pa.) University, where the Yellow Jackets triumphed over Randolph-Macon (Va.) College and No. 14 nationally ranked Misericordia (Pa.) University but lost to the host Messiah on Jordan Court inside Hitchcock Arena.

BW (2-1) started the season positively by securing their inaugural victory on Friday night against Randolph-Macon with set scores of 27-25, 26-28, 25-20, and 25-14. The Yellow Jackets then claimed the first set against the Falcons on Saturday morning but succumbed in four sets with scores of 25-23, 23-25, 22-25, and 21-25 in a clash between two AVCA Top-20 waitlist teams. However, the Brown and Gold rallied back to achieve a reverse sweep over one of the leading teams in the nation, overpowering No. 14 Misericordia with scores of 19-25, 17-25, 25-20, 25-20, and 15-7 to conclude the Invitational.

vs. Randolph-Macon (1-3)

• Senior All-MCVL outside hitter Ted Hofmeister (Powell/Saint Charles) topped the team in kills with 14 and also led in digs with 12 during his debut as a Yellow Jacket
• Senior Academic All-MCVL setter Carson Junker (Massillon/Jackson) recorded a team-best 32 assists, while senior Academic All-MCVL setter Evan Herbst (Hamburg, N.Y.) contributed 14 assists
• Sophomore outside hitter Daniel Latham (Westerville/Westerville Central) finished with 11 kills, four block assists, and three digs
• Sophomore All-MCVL outside hitters Owen Huynh (Loveland) and Jacob Esteves (Wickliffe/St. Edward) each contributed eight kills
• Junior Academic All-MCVL libero Aiden Kim (Bothell, Wash./North Creek) recorded nine digs
• Junior Academic All-MCVL middle hitter Josh Steinitz (Towson, Md./Friends School of Baltimore) and senior All-MCVL middle hitter Reed Fisher (Freedom, Pa./Ambridge Area) each achieved six kills
• Freshman defensive specialist David Abercrombie (Maricopa, Ariz.) made one ace in his first college game
• BW maintained a hitting percentage of .316, including .552 in the fourth and final set

at Messiah (3-0)

• Sophomore defensive specialist Jack Sullenberger (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) achieved a team-high 12 digs
• Huynh opened the day with 10 kills against the Cougars
• Junior Academic All-MCVL outside hitter Colby Whiteside (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) compiled a statline of six kills, two aces, and one block assist
• Esteves recorded six kills alongside three block solos
• Hofmeister again led the Brown and Gold with 11 kills
• Junker and Herbst provided 27 and 15 assists, respectively
• The Yellow Jackets served a total of eight aces to Messiah’s three

vs. No. 14 Misericordia (4-4)

• Senior All-MCVL outside hitter Michael Beard (Hilliard/Darby) led the squad with 13 digs, adding nine kills and a crucial block to secure the fifth set
• Huynh recorded a weekend-best 16 kills for the Yellow Jackets
• Fisher achieved eight kills, six block assists, one ace, and hit .545 on 11 attempts
• Whiteside assisted on five blocks while contributing seven kills
• Junker amassed a career-high 46 assists, bringing him to 105 over the weekend
• Latham also contributed six block assists and nine kills
• Sullenberger added eight digs

The Yellow Jackets will be in action again on Friday, January 24 as the team kicks off the Baldwin Wallace Invitational by facing the Milwaukee (Wisc.) School of Engineering at 8 p.m. in Ursprung Gymnasium located within the Lou Higgins Center. On Saturday, January 25, BW will compete against the No. 15 nationally ranked University of California-Santa Cruz at 6 p.m. and will wrap up the Invitational on Sunday, January 26 against No. 11 nationally ranked St. John Fisher (N.Y.) University at 2:30 p.m.