GREENVILLE, Pennsylvania - April 11, 2023 - The 2023 season came to an end for the Hiram men's volleyball team on Tuesday evening, with the Terriers falling to Thiel in 3 sets in the first round of the AMCC Tournament: 20-25, 24-26, 17-25.

Three different Hiram players recorded at least 5 kills – including Kyle Martini (7), Cullen Sivak (6) and Jarod Leynes (5) – but the balanced attack wasn't enough in a tightly contested postseason battle.

The Terriers held a lead in the first and third sets, while erasing a deficit as large as 7 points in the second set. The hard-fought effort put the team's final record at 8-16, with nearly a .500 record in conference play during the regular season (6-7).

Hiram led 11-8 in the first set, with Jackson Deubner having 3 of the team's first 6 kills. Thiel would then tie the game at 12-12 and eventually score 6 unanswered points later in the set to claim a one-set lead.

The Terriers were able to come back from a 10-3 deficit in the second set thanks to a 6-2 scoring run. They tied the set at 24-24, but kills by JC Govannucci and Zac Smith halted the rally and put Hiram in a 2-set hole.

Hiram jumped out to a 10-5 lead in the third set before Thiel again found its groove and regained a 14-11 advantage. Martini had 4 of his 7 kills in the third set, while the Tomcats scored 8 of the last 11 points to secure their spot in the semifinals.

It caps off a season that saw the Terriers fight their way into the top-half of the AMCC and give teams like Penn State Behrend and Saint Vincent everything they could handle. The team went 4-3 in conference home games.

Hiram is primed for a big 2024 next winter, as it won't have any players graduating after the 2023 season.