Men's Volleyball | 3/1/2023 1:07:00 PM

PITTSFORD, NY – The No. 8 ranked St. John Fisher University men's volleyball team (13-5) will look to re-establish themselves after going 0-2 to start conference play, coming off loses to No. 2 Vassar College (3-0) and No. 9 New York University (3-0).
 
The Cardinals will head to Hilbert College on Saturday, March 4 at 12 p.m. before returning home to the Manning & Napier Varsity Gym for a Monday, March 6 matchup at 5 p.m. against Medaille University.
 
Scouting the Opponents
The Cardinals have faced Hilbert just once in program history, beating them in a 3-0 last season. Fisher relied on a career performance from Gavin Newman, who posted a career-high seven aces in the win last season in addition to 28 assists and three digs. Zach Ciraolo finished with five kills in the season opening win.
 
Hilbert has gone 6-10 this season and maintain a three game win streak, winning nine consecutive sets over the streak. The Hawks will look to extend their streak on Thursday when they play at Medaille.
 
Meanwhile, the Cardinals have notched four straight sweeps over Medaille, dating back to 2018. Last season, Fisher hit a season-high 0.517% (35 kills, four errors, 60 attempts) in the win. Josh Bigford finished with a game-high 11 kills, and middles Matt Beiter and Griffin Stella supported Bigford by adding four aces and five kills (respectively).
 
Medaille holds a 4-11 record this season, including notable losses to Nazareth College (3-0), and Misericordia (1-3). The Cardinals have beat both the Golden Flyers and the Cougars throughout the 2023 campaign.
 
UVC Standings Update
After a challenging weekend, the Cardinals have fallen to sixth place in the UVC Conference out of seven teams. Vassar paces the conference with a 3-0 overall record, coming off pivotal wins this weekend against Nazareth and Fisher, while Elmira and New Paltz are coming off their first conference wins. NYU holds a 2-1 record in conference play, with their only loss coming in a five-set drop against Elmira.
 
Meanwhile, MIT, Fisher, and Nazareth are all looking for their first wins in conference play this year.
 
Player to Watch
First year outside Casey Jackson found early success this season but has settled to a 0.153% (38 kills, 21 errors, 111 attempts). Jackson has lately been brought in for his serve, and the Spencerport native has tallied seven aces and 30 service errors this season, with his last ace coming in a three-set win over the University of Mount Union on 2/11/2023. Jackson had a career game against Potsdam on 1/20/2023, posting a personal best 13 kills and 0.476% hitting mark.
 
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