Box Score by Doug Page
WILSON, N.C. – The Barton College men's volleyball team snapped a five-game slide to start the season with a 3-1 (25-17, 25-15, 23-25, 25-18) win against Conference Carolinas foe Erskine College at home on Friday night.
The Bulldogs (1-5, 1-0) received a combined 25 kills from junior Aleksa Brkovic and sophomore Angelos Mandilaris as BC hit .427 as a team on the night. Erskine (0-5, 0-2) was able to take a set from Barton despite committing 26 attack errors in the match.
Brkovic finished the match with 13 kills for Barton, hitting .647 to go along with five assists, two aces, and seven digs. A. Mandilaris tallied 12 kills, two service aces, and three digs for BC while junior Vasilis Mandilaris recorded four kills and a pair of aces for the Bulldogs. Redshirt junior Oscar Fiorentino notched 31 assists in the match while also recording three kills and six digs.
The Flying Fleet were paced by Daniel Hermida's 12 kills and four digs, while Josh Bragg tallied 10 kills and two aces for Erskine. Kevin Braceros recorded eight kills on the night and added one solo block along with a pair of block assists. Absalon Williams added seven kills and one solo block, while Matt Friddle notched 34 assists for the Flying Fleet.
Barton went toe-to-toe with the Cougars in the opening set as A. Mandilaris started the night with a kill to give the Bulldogs a quick 1-0 advantage. BC stayed within a point of the Cougars following a kill by V. Mandilaris that made it 7-6 BYU. A service error by Barton would start a 3-0 run by BYU, who upped its lead to 10-6 in the set. Trailing 12-7, BC used a 3-0 rally to cut the deficit to 12-10. Consecutive aces by Stanley would give BYU a 15-10 advantage and momentum in the set.
The Bulldogs took a 5-2 lead in the opening set thanks to consecutive aces from Brkovic but would quickly see the score knotted following a 3-0 rally by the Flying Fleet. V. Mandilaris answered for BC with a pair of kills to make it 7-5 in the set. Erskine battled to stay within a point of Barton until the Bulldogs used a 4-0 run to up their advantage to 14-9. Williams closed the gap to 20-15 for the Flying Fleet until the Mandilaris took control, sparking a 4-0 rally to put BC within a point of taking the set. Erskine tallied consecutive points to make it 24-17 before a service error by the Flying Fleet gave Barton the 25-17 victory to take a 1-0 lead.
Braceros evened the score 4-4 in the second set with a kill for Erskine only to see BC take a 6-4 lead following a kill and attack error. The Flying Fleet gained momentum and took four of the next five points to gain an 8-7 lead in the set. A service error by Braceros would start a 4-0 rally for the Bulldogs, who leaped back in front by a score of 11-8. Two points later, the Bulldogs would use a 5-0 run to widen the lead to 16-9. The run would be highlighted by a pair of aces from A. Mandilaris. A pair of 3-0 rallies later in the set upped the BC lead to 23-12. The Flying Fleet trimmed the deficit to 24-15 after back-to-back kills from Braceros and Hermida. BC then took a 2-0 lead in the match as a service error gave the Bulldogs a 25-15 victory in the set.
With the third set tied 2-2, five consecutive errors by the Flying Fleet would allow the Bulldogs to take a 7-2 lead and command of the set. Barton would later take a 13-7 lead following a double block by Fiorentino and junior Justice Lord. Erskine countered with a 3-0 rally to cut the deficit to 13-10. Halfway through the set, senior Charles Hyde delivered a kill for the Bulldogs, who looked poised to take the set and the sweep in the process. Erskine had other plans in mind, however, using a 3-0 run to cut the gap to 17-16. The Flying Fleet won four of the next five points to take a 20-19 advantage in the set. The Bulldogs took a late 23-22 lead in the set after securing consecutive points, only to see Erskine tally the next three points to win the set 25-23.
The fourth set would have the same start as the third with BC taking a 7-2 lead and the early momentum. Erskine made another huge rally, recording four-straight points to pull within two (9-7) of the Bulldogs. Consecutive attack errors allowed Barton to up its lead to 14-8. Braceros and Williams teamed-up to bring Erskine within three points of Barton on the heels of a 3-0 rally. Leading 14-11, BC took the next four points to stretch its lead to 18-11 in the set. The Flying Fleet attempted a final comeback in the set as Bragg and Hermida delivered a kill and ace to trim the BC advantage to 23-18. Barton would secure the match with the next two points as Fiorentino capped off the 25-18 victory for the Bulldogs with a kill.
Barton will host Conference Carolinas foe Emmanuel College on Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. inside Wilson Gym.
