HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Hilbert Men's Volleyball dropped a four-set road match to Houghton University tonight, falling 3-1 at the Nielsen Center.

The Hawks (4-19, 2-8 AMCC) opened the match with a competitive first set but came up short, 25-19. Hilbert responded in the second set, using an efficient .250 hitting percentage to even the match with a 25-22 win.

Yet, Houghton (8-19, 7-5 AMCC) regained control in the final two sets, taking the third 25-19 and closing out the match with a 25-22 decision in the fourth.

As a team, Hilbert recorded 44 kills on a .150 hitting percentage while the Saxons finished with 43 kills on a .188 attack percentage.

Nikolas D'Andrea led the way with a match-high 19 kills, while Justin Veal added 12 and Xavier Edwards chipped in six.

Mehkai Francis paced the Hawks' offense with 30 assists and added a strong all-around performance with 15 digs for his second double-double this season.

Jacob Sehn contributed seven assists and nine digs, while Michael Pozzuto finished with six digs and a pair of points at the net.

Defensively, Hilbert totaled 44 digs and seven blocks, with Stephen Winans leading the team with two blocks. Sam Rastelli added a pair of service aces in the effort.

Houghton was led by Devin Cline and Michael McGlynn, who combined for 27 kills, while setter Jerry Buno dished out 40 assists in the win.

Hilbert will look to bounce back this weekend when the Hawks host back-to-back league games on Friday and Saturday. 

Hilbert and Mount Aloysius will battle at 7 pm April 3rd and follow with a 1 pm contest against Penn State Altoona April 4th.