POTSDAM, N.Y.—The Hobart College volleyball team split action in its first two matches of its inaugural season this afternoon. The Statesmen opened its season with a 3-0 sweep of SUNY Potsdam which was followed by a 3-1 loss to Nichols College. Hobart is now 1-1 on the season while the Bears fall to 1-1, and the Bison move to 2-0.

Graduate student Andrew Kim led the Statesmen with 45 kills (.420) through two matches, averaging 6.43 kills per set. He added 14 digs, seven assists and five service aces in the opening day. First-year Daniel Sappia impressed in his collegiate debut, recording 27 kills through two matches. He added five digs, one assist, one block and one service ace.

First-year setter Zack Farren led the Hobart offense through two matches, recording 73 assists on the day (10.43 per set). He chipped in 17 digs defensively for the Statesmen who kept their opponents to a .000 and .241 hitting percentages, respectively.
  
MATCH MOMENTS:
 
Match 1 (Potsdam):

• Hobart and Potsdam shared the early points as both teams worked out the early season nerves. The Statesmen went on a 4-0 run thanks to two big kills from Kim to force a Potsdam timeout. Hobart maintained the momentum for the remainder of the opening set and closed out set one on top, 25-17, with kills from first-year Anthony Zontini and Sappia.
• The Statesmen continued to improve throughout the match, putting down 16 kills compared to the Bears three in the second set. Hobart kept Potsdam to a negative hitting percentage (-.091) for the second straight set and were led by Kim's seven kills to extend their lead to 2-0 after a 25-18 win in set two.
• Hobart produced its most efficient set in the third, hitting .458 as a team with 14 kills and only three errors. After a service ace by first-year Noah DeLong that forced a Potsdam timeout, the Statesmen grabbed the momentum for the remainder of the match. Kim, Sappia and Zontini led Hobart down the stretch to close out its first match in program history in a sweep.

Match stats:

• Kim led the Statesmen with 21 kills, hitting an impressive .485. First-year Daniel Sappia chipped in 12 kills (.133) while Zontini added eight (.200).
• Farren recorded 34 assists and 10 digs for his first double-double of the season.
• Hobart recorded eight service aces compared to Potsdam's two. Kim led the Statesmen with four while first-year's Nate Magni, Noah DeLong, Grayson Getz and Zontini added one each.

Match 2 (Nichols):

• Hobart continued its momentum into the second match of the day jumping out to an early 14-8 lead in the first thanks to a service ace from Sappia and two kills from Kim. The Statesmen continued to lead through the remainder of the set, finishing it off with three big kills from Sappia to give Hobart a 25-20 win in set one.
• The second set between the Statesmen and the Bison went point for point until Zontini slammed a kill home out of a Nichols timeout. The Bison fought back grabbing a late lead in the set. A Statesmen service error would hand Nichols a 25-23 win in the second to tie the match at 1-1.
• Kim found his groove early in the third set, putting down four kills to make the score 5-3. The Bison chipped away at the Statesmen lead, going on a 3-0 run to grab the lead back. The back-and-forth action continued throughout the third until Nichols used a 5-1 run to grab a 25-20 set three victory.
• The battle continued in the fourth with both sides trading points with both teams putting down 13 kills. Kim continued to shine for the Statesmen, recording seven kills in the fourth to tie his career-high of 24 kills. After trading service errors, the Bison turned up the heat with a big block followed by a service ace. Nichols forced one last hitting error for the Statesmen, closing the set out on top 25-23, and the match 3-1.

Match stats:

• Kim had another dominant performance with 24 kills, hitting .375. Sappia also showed strong with a career-high 15 kills (.171).
• Farren recorded 39 assists and seven digs in the four-set thriller.
• First-year Gavin Meador had a strong defensive showing with 14 digs. Kim chipped in nine digs while Zontini and Farren added seven each.

COACHES CORNER:
 
"I am so proud of the way the team played today," said Head Coach Steve England. "Getting our first win in program history is special. We were clicking as a team right from the start. It was a tough loss against a very good Nichols team. We came out hot in the first set from the service line which helped us close out the set. They made adjustments in their serve receive that kept them in system which made them hard to stop. The big take away is that Hobart has a bright future with the way we played in this first day"

UP NEXT:
 
Hobart will be back in action tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 12, as they take on Wells College to conclude its opening weekend trip to Potsdam. First serve between the Statesmen and the Express is set for noon in the Maxcy Field House.