HAMBURG, N.Y. – Hilbert Men's Volleyball split its Saturday trimatch inside the Hafner Recreation Center, earning a four-set win over Hartwick before falling to SUNY Potsdam later in the afternoon.
SUNY Potsdam recorded a 3-0 win over Hartwick in the middle match of the day.

Potsdam improved to 5-2, Hartwick dropped to 3-14 and Hilbert shifted to 3-10 overall this season.

Hilbert Standouts for the day:

• Across the two matches, Nikolas D'Andrea led the Hawks offensively with 36 kills, adding seven service aces, four total blocks and 13 digs.
• Mehkai Francis directed the offense with 54 assists while contributing 10 kills, four blocks, and eight digs over the two contests.
• Justin Veal totaled 18 kills and added a pair of blocks, while Jacob Sehn anchored the back row with an impressive 39 digs across the day.
• At the net, Stephen Winans contributed four blocks in the opener, helping Hilbert control play defensively in the victory.

Match One: Hilbert 3, Hartwick 1
(25-20, 20-25, 25-16, 25-18)

Hilbert (3-9) bounced back after dropping the second set to defeat Hartwick (3-13) in four sets to open the trimatch.

The Hawks edged out the first set 25-20 before Hartwick answered with a strong .367 hitting percentage in the second to even the match. Hilbert responded decisively, holding the visitors to a negative hitting percentage (-.071) in the third set while claiming a 25-16 victory.

In the fourth, Hilbert delivered its most efficient offensive frame of the match, hitting .265 with 13 kills to close out the win.

D'Andrea paced the Hawks with 18 kills and six aces in the match, while Veal added seven kills and Francis chipped in six. Francis distributed 28 assists, and Sehn posted 19 digs. At the net, Winans recorded four blocks and Francis added three.

As a team, Hilbert out-hit Hartwick .208 to .147 while finishing with advantages in kills (41-38), aces (9-4), and total blocks (7-2).

Match Two: SUNY Potsdam 3, Hilbert 1
(25-21, 25-14, 23-25, 25-13)

In the afternoon match, Hilbert dropped a four-set decision to SUNY Potsdam (5-2).

The Bears came out firing, hitting .429 in the opening set to take early control. After Potsdam claimed the second set, the Hawks responded with their strongest offensive effort of the day in the third. Hilbert hit .308 with 15 kills and just three errors to secure a 25-23 set win.

Potsdam regained momentum in the fourth, hitting .364 to seal the match.

D'Andrea again led Hilbert with 18 kills, while Veal added 11. Francis tallied 26 assists and four kills, and Sehn collected a match-high 20 digs. Pozzuto contributed eight digs defensively.

Hilbert returns to conference play next week when they travel to Buffalo State University for a 7 pm contest February 25th.