MIDDLESEX COLLEGE MENS VOLLEYBALL SWEEPS UNION FOR 5TH STRAIGHT WIN

Middlesex College Men's Volleyball won a close first set, then pulled away from Union College the next two sets to complete a sweep of the Owls as the 2023 regular season winds down.

The Colts won the first set 28-26, the second 25-14 and then took the third 25-15 for the sweep.

It was the fifth straight win for the Colts who are now 8-6 on the season. With the win, the Colts are in the driver's seat to receive a home playoff game once the regular season concludes.

In the first set, Union opened up a 13-8 lead and were up 19-14 before the Colts began a fierce comeback. After reeling off four straight points to make the score 19-18, a mishit gave Union a 20-18 lead.

The Colts scored the next five points to go up 23-20 and held a 24-21 lead looking to clinch the set. However, the Owls stormed back to tie the game at 24.

Middlesex had leads of 25-24, 26-25 and 27-26 before closing out the 28-26 win.

The second set was close in the early going with the Colts taking a 9-7 lead before going on a 9-3 run to take a commanding 18-10 lead. Middlesex went up 24-14 and clinched the win with a Tyler Ryan (Sophomore/Port Reading, NJ) kill.

The third set was similar to the second with the Colts holding a slim 8-7 lead before going on a 6-1 run to take a 14-8 lead. The Colts cruised to the victory from there.

Middlesex has just two regular season games remaining before advancing to the postseason. They will travel to Northampton on Wednesday and then close the season with a home match against Ocean CC on Monday.

Four teams will compete in the first Garden State Athletic Conference Men's Volleyball Playoffs which begin immediately following the end of the regular season. Middlesex has swept the season series from Union and Passaic CC and dropped a four-set match at Ocean CC earlier in the season.

If current seeding holds, Middlesex would take on Union at home in the first round of the playoffs before advancing to play the winner of Ocean CC and Passaic CC. Seeds can change as the regular season concludes with showdowns between Ocean and Middlesex and Passaic vs. Union on the last day of the season.