HIRAM, Ohio – January 14, 2023 – The Hiram men's volleyball team opened its season with a loss to Mount Union inside Price Gymnasium (25-19, 25-17, 25-16).

Kyle Martini led the way with a team-high 6 kills in his debut with the program. Garrett Scheidegger added 5 kills of his own, while Matthew Albano had 16 assists on the evening.

Cameron Ternent and Luke Trzeciak spearheaded the Purple Raiders with a combined 26 kills, with Will Heeney having the majority of the assists (30).

Hiram led 6-5 early in the first set before Mount Union won 8 of the next 9 points to take a lead they would not lose for the rest of the set. The Terriers scored 5 straight points to cut the deficit to 18-16 and carry some momentum heading into the later stages of the match.

Momentum swings played a big role in the second and third sets, with Mount Union scoring 11 of the last 14 points in the second and 8 of the last 11 points in the third. Hiram created opportunities throughout its roster, with Connor Tilton and Jackson Deubner also chipping in 3 kills apiece, but the balanced attack wasn't enough in the loss.

The Terriers will have plenty of opportunities to bounce back, beginning with a road match at Baldwin Wallace on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.