Men's Volleyball Battles in Stiff Conference Matchups

Written by Men's Volleyball Assistant Coach, Chad Ohelo

That belief may have finally started to take root in the Moore Center. On the eve of crucial matchups against Georgetown and Cumberland, Head Coach Jerry Forbes challenged his team to keep the door open and trust that a strong finish could still change everything. It was a message built on equal parts urgency and faith — the kind of faith that doesn't always make sense from the outside, but means everything inside a locker room. For a Brescia squad still learning how good it can be when it plays together, this weekend was about more than wins and losses. It was about becoming a team that finally sees a reason to believe.

Friday night's five-set loss to Georgetown College may go down as one of the clearest examples of that. On paper, the Tigers came in as one of the conference's top teams, a 7–2 group expected to control the night. Instead, Brescia pushed them to the edge. Even after Georgetown erupted for a blistering .480 hitting percentage in the opening set, the Bearcats never let the match get away. They answered by settling into their offense, raising their side-out efficiency, and turning the match into a long, physical fight. Brescia hit .291 as a team — one of its strongest offensive performances of the season — while putting together an elite night at the net with 15 total team blocks. More telling still was the balance: Joaquin Palacios hit .391, Mustafa Yildiz finished at .438, Haris Hasicevic added .320, and Miguel Pereira chipped in at .273. This was not one hot hand carrying the load. This was a lineup finding rhythm across the board. And when Brescia's block began to slow Georgetown's top outside attack in the middle stages of the match, the difference between the teams looked far smaller than the standings would suggest.

If Friday proved Brescia could trade punches with one of the conference's best, Saturday showed what it looks like when that same level is sustained from start to finish. In a 3–1 win over Cumberland, the Bearcats controlled the match on their terms. They didn't survive it — they dictated it. Brescia held Cumberland to just a .181 hitting percentage, using its block and serve pressure to consistently disrupt the Phoenix offense while staying efficient on its own side at .259. Malo Vandewalle delivered one of the most complete performances of the weekend with 11 kills and 11 digs, while Palacios followed his strong Friday showing with 10 kills and seven blocks. Hasicevic remained steady with nine kills and five blocks, and Brescia's setters combined for 52 assists in a performance that reflected balance, tempo, and trust. Sometimes often unnoticed, Brescia's second line defense backed up its block lead by Miguel Veloso with 16 digs, mostly coming at point blank range. The Bearcats won the serve-pass battle, the efficiency battle, and the battle at the net — all signs of a team no longer just hoping to hang around, but beginning to understand how to impose itself.

Up next, the Bearcats will celebrate their seniors against St. Mary of the Woods this Friday, April 3, in The Den at 7pm.