ALLIANCE, Ohio - January 12, 2024 - It was an exciting start to the season for the Hiram men's volleyball team, as the Terriers nearly took the first set and hung around against a team that went 21-6 this past season.

Hiram would ultimately fall to Mount Union in three sets, 22-25, 19-25, 19-25, on Friday evening at the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex.

The Terriers evenly distributed their production on the offensive end, with Garrett Scheidegger (7 kills), Kyle Martini (5) and Jackson Deubner (4) all chipping in. Matthew Albano totaled 13 assists and 6 digs, both of which were team-highs.

Hiram started strong, as it never trailed by more than 3 points in the first set. Five different Terriers student-athletes recorded at least 1 kill before the Purple Raiders went on a 5-0 run to end the set and pull ahead in the match.

The Terriers again showed promise in the second set; Scheidegger recorded 2 kills and Colin Brooks recorded his first kill in his team debut to carve out a 7-1 lead. Mount Union responded later in the set with a pair of 4-0 runs to take a two-set lead.

Hiram did a good job of preventing Mount Union from gaining momentum in the third set, as the opposition never scored more than 3 consecutive points during that span. Freshman Dakotah Welsh tallied his first collegiate kill in the set, but the Purple Raiders hung on for the non-conference victory.

Hiram will return to the court next Friday and Saturday, when it plays four matches in a span of 24 hours on the campus of Saint Vincent in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.