HAMBURG, N.Y. – The Hilbert College men's volleyball team opened the 2026 season in dramatic fashion, rallying for a five-set victory over Houghton College on Saturday afternoon at the Brad Hafner Recreation Center. The Hawks prevailed 3-2 by set scores of 19-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-14, and 15-10.

Hilbert (1-0) showed resilience throughout the match, responding each time Houghton (0-1) gained momentum. After dropping the opening set, the Hawks bounced back behind improved efficiency at the net to even the match. Houghton reclaimed the advantage in the third set, but Hilbert answered with its most dominant stretch of play in the fourth, hitting .333 while holding the
Highlanders to just a .033 attack percentage.

The decisive fifth set saw Hilbert seize control early, using strong serving pressure and timely kills to pull away. The Hawks closed the match by winning the final four points, sealing the comeback in front of a home crowd of 101.

Nikolas D'Andrea delivered a standout performance to lead Hilbert, recording a match-high 30 kills while hitting .278. He also made his presence felt from the service line with seven aces. Michael Pozzuto added nine kills and 13 digs, while Justin Veal contributed eight kills and a team-best four blocks.

Brinton McClain orchestrated the offense with 46 assists, guiding the Hawks to a .258 team hitting percentage. Defensively, Jacob Sehn anchored the back row with a match-high 15 digs, while Hilbert finished with six total blocks at the net.

As a team, Hilbert held the advantage in kills (54-44), assists (52-41), and digs (51-48), while limiting Houghton to a .147 attack percentage for the match.
Hilbert will face SUNY Poly in the night cap of the trimatch hosted by the Hawks.