PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College men's volleyball team picked up two wins on Friday behind 26 kills from freshman Ben De La Cruz as the Cardinals defeated Lasell in four sets before sweeping Medaille in straight sets, inside Nazareth College's Kidera Gymnasium.  With the wins, Fisher improved to 8-6 overall.

FISHER 3, LASELL 1

The Cardinals fell behind early in the first set as the Lasers jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead.  Fisher would climb its way back after scoring four of the set's next five points including a service ace from Paul Hackford.  The two teams battled back and forth until the score remained deadlocked at 21-21.  From there, Mike Strumpfler put down two kills and Lasell produced two errors as the Cardinals held on for the 25-23 win.

In the second set, Fisher opened up a three-point edge after four consecutive points including two kills from Kevin Cahill staked the Cardinals to an 11-8 advantage.  The lead would eventually balloon to 17-12 before Lasell reeled off five straight points to force Fisher into a timeout with the set knotted at 17 points apiece.

Coming out of the break, the Lasers opened up a two-point lead, but it was short lived as Fisher strung together six of the set's final seven points to earn a 25-22 win leading into the third.

In the third, Fisher was able to maintain a healthy lead after beginning the set with an 8-1 run highlighted by two kills from Strumpfler.  The Cardinals would eventually build a 17-12 lead, but Lasell battled back after producing a 13-5 run to overtake Fisher and force a fourth set.

In the deciding set, the Cardinals rebounded and held a 10-6 edge after three straight service points from Strumpfler.  Fisher would open up a 19-13 lead when Strumpfler and Hackford came up with a timely block on the pin and would go on to clinch the match, 25-18.

De La Cruz and Cahill each clubbed 11 kills in the win with Hackford being credited with 38 assists in all.  Strumpfler had nine kills while Joe Kenney had seven kills and seven digs.  Freshman libero David Cerqua led the team defensively with 10 digs to go along with five assists.

FISHER 3, MEDAILLE 0

The Cardinals led wire-to-wire in the first set after orchestrating a 4-1 run to get the match started.  The two teams would eventually play to an 8-8 tie before De La Cruz hammered down two consecutive kills as part of a 3-0 surge to make it 11-8 in Fisher's favor.  From there, the two teams traded points down the stretch with the score remaining tied at 22-22.  After coming up with a timely side out on a kill from Kenney, Fisher put the set away with two quick points capped by a service ace from Hackford to win it 25-22.

In the second set, Fisher continued to find its groove as the Cardinals built a 15-10 lead courtesy of a big block at the net from Strumpfler and Hackford.  As the frame progressed, Fisher put the set out of reach after five consecutive points made it 23-13.  The Mavericks would answer with a modest run of their own, but two final points from Fisher sealed the win, 25-16.

In the third and final set, Fisher started off strong again to the tune of a 7-3 lead.  After trading points, Fisher tacked on three more points to build a 13-7 margin.  From there, Medaille battled back to come to within one points, 24-23, but the Cardinals clinched the win when Tyler Richards found Hackford for the kill.

De La Cruz once again posted a team-high in kills after notching 15 in all on 31 attempts.  Kenney slammed eight kills in all with six digs while Hackford earned 29 assists, three digs and two kills. 

The Cardinals will return to the court at 1 p.m. on Saturday as they take on Wells College and Cal Lutheran as part of the Nazareth Invitational inside Kidera Gymnasium.