Box Score by Benny Benton
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Barton College rolled to its sixth straight men's volleyball victory on Friday with a 3-0 non-conference win at Queens University, 25-22, 25-17, 25-19.
Sophomore Angelos Mandilaris led the Bulldogs (11-6) with 14 kills and junior Vasilis Mandilaris added 11. Senior Michael Perez contributed a season-high five kills and a career-high six digs in the victory, and junior Justice Lord delivered a match-high seven block assists.
Queens (3-14) was paced by 10 kills from Marco Vecellio. Aleksandar Perisic added six kills and six block assists in the losing cause.
The Royals led very early in set one behind the play of Vecellio, who had six of his 10 kills in the frame. Barton took the lead for good in the set at 10-9 on a service ace by Justice Lord, and opened up a 13-10 advantage following consecutive kills by Vasilis Mandilaris.
Barton, which has won 11 of its last 12 matches, extended its lead to seven points at 21-14 on an ace by Perez before Queens made a late rally to trim the final margin in the set to three.
A service ace by Angelos Mandilaris and a pair of Queens attack errors gave the Bulldogs a quick 3-0 lead to open the second set, and Barton never trailed in the frame. The Mandilaris brothers each had four kills in the set, and the Royals hurt themselves by hitting just .045.
Queens led 8-6 in the third set after a Perisic kill, but Barton broke away from a 9-all tie with a kill by setter Oscar Fiorentino, consecutive blocks involving Lord, and a kill by Vasilis Mandilaris.
The Royals closed to within two at 14-12 on a Donovan Bethel ace, but kills by Charles Hyde and Angelos Mandilaris, solo blocks by each of the Mandilaris brothers, an ace by Fiorentino, and a block by Vasilis Mandilaris and Hyde made up a 6-0 run that put BC in control of the set at 20-12.
Queens posted a negative .067 hitting percentage in the final frame, in large part because of seven team blocks in the set for the Bulldogs.
Barton will return to Conference Carolinas play on Saturday with a 2 p.m. match at Belmont Abbey College. The Bulldogs currently lead the league at 8-0.
