PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Freshman outside hitter Avery Kielbasinski slammed 13 kills while hitting .400 to lead the St. John Fisher men's volleyball team to a road sweep (25-21, 25-20, 27-25) of East Avenue rival Nazareth on Wednesday night at Kidera Gymnasium. 

The Cardinals (5-5, 1-2 UVC) snapped a four-game losing streak and earned their first United Volleyball Conference win of the season with the victory. Nazareth (7-8, 0-1 UVC) suffered its sixth consecutive loss. 

St. John Fisher amassed 40 total kills while logging its third-highest hitting percentage (.344) of the season. Nazareth finished with 34 kills but struggled on its way to that total, hitting .124 for the match with 22 errors. 

Senior outside hitter Gabe La Robardiere led Fisher's offensive attack with Kielbasinski, slamming nine kills while hitting .389 to reach an even 500 for his career, the fifth most in program history. Senior outside hitter Casey Jackson and junior middle blocker Guillermo Perez had six kills each. 

How It Happened

The Cardinals took control of a back-and-forth first set when it mattered most, ending it on a 5-1 run to secure a 25-21 victory. The Golden Flyers committed four attacking errors in that stretch and eight total in the set while hitting a meager .114. 

On the other side, the Cardinals didn't waste any time finding a groove offensively, slamming 13 kills while hitting in the opening frame. La Robardiere had five kills on a .500 hitting percentage, and Kielbasinski chipped in three while hitting .273. 

The Cardinals had 13 more kills and hit .370 in the second set en route to a 25-20 victory. After falling behind 6-5, they ripped off six straight points to take an 11-6 lead and stayed ahead the rest of the way. Kielbasinski led Fisher in that frame with four kills, while Jackson and junior middle blocker Connor Holmes had three apiece. 

In a neck-and-neck final set, which included 20 ties and six lead changes, neither team held an advantage larger than two points throughout. The Cardinals prevailed 27-25 behind six kills from Kielbasinski, who hit .500 in the frame, and three apiece from La Robardiere and Perez. Senior setter Aiden Calhoun dished out 11 assists to finish a match in which he had at least 10 in every set. 

The Cardinals scored the final three points after falling behind 25-24 on a Ryan Murphy kill to secure the win. Kielbasinski slammed three straight kills to close it out. 

Match Notes

• Fisher improved to 10-4 all-time against Nazareth, which entered Wednesday's contest having won two straight matches against the Cardinals. 

• Calhoun amassed a career-high 31 assists. 

• La Robardiere finished with 11.5 points on nine kills, three block assists and a service ace. 

• Jackson and Perez each finished with six kills. 

• Freshman libero Luke Zimmerman held down the Cardinals' defense with 11 digs. 

• La Robardiere and Perez each amassed three total blocks. 

• The Cardinals committed just nine errors, tied for their second-fewest in a match this season. 

Up Next

The Cardinals host Hartwick and Misericordia on Friday at 3 and 7 p.m., respectively.