GENEVA, N.Y.—The 10th-ranked Hobart volleyball team added two more wins to its resume as it defeated Eastern Mennonite University twice this afternoon in Bristol Gym. With the win, the Statesmen remain undefeated and move to 7-0 on the season, while the Royals fall to 1-2 overall.

Graduate student Andrew Kim led Hobart with 39 kills, hitting .529 through two matches. He tallied a season-high 25 kills (.558) in the opening match of the day. Kim added 10 service aces, including a seven-ace showing in match one, and 23 digs. He averaged 5.57 kills per set, 1.43 aces per set, 3.29 digs per set and 7.36 points per set to help the Statesmen to back-to-back wins over EMU.

Sophomore's Noah DeLong and Daniel Sappia also impressed for Hobart this afternoon and tallied 15 (.189) and 14 (.146) kills each, respectively. DeLong chipped in five digs and three blocks within the wins, while Sappia added 12 digs, two aces and two blocks through two matches. Sophomore Zack Farren and graduate student Benjamin Lincoln led the Statesmen from the setter position and tallied 44 and 39 assists each, respectively. The duo combined for 13 digs and one service ace this afternoon.

MATCH MOMENTS:
 
Match 1 (EMU):

• The first set was a back-and-forth battle between the Statesmen and the Royals as the two sides traded the lead six times and tied the score nine times in the opening set. Kim put on a dominant performance in set one, putting down nine kills (.600) to help Hobart slip away with a 25-23 win to open the match.
• Hobart continued on its momentum in the second set and put down a match-high 15 kills (.290) as a team. The Statesmen held EMU to just seven kills (.185) to extend their lead to 2-0 with a 25-20 win in set two.
• The Royals fought back in the must-win set as they put down 12 kills (.231) as a team. Hobart tallied 13 kills (.321) but struggled from the service line and racked up eight service errors to hand EMU a 25-22 win in set three.
• Hobart responded well in the fourth set and recorded six service aces to close out the win. DeLong (.500) and Kim (.571) added four kills each to close out the match with a convincing 25-17 win in set four.

Match stats:

• Kim led the Statesmen with a season-high 25 kills, hitting .558 in the win. DeLong chipped in eight kills (.250), while Sappia chipped in seven (.105). First-year's Alain Malcolm (.000) and Josh Reilly (.500) added four kills each out of the middle for Hobart.
• Farren and Lincoln led the Statesmen from the setter position and tallied 22 and 21 assists, respectively. The duo combined for seven digs in the win.
• Hobart combined for 39 digs as a team and were led by sophomore libero Gavin Meador with 11. Kim chipped in eight digs, while Sappia added seven in the four-set win.
• The Statesmen held a 9-4 advantage from the service line and were led by Kim with seven aces to match his career high. Sappia chipped in two service aces for Hobart.

Match 2 (EMU):

• The Statesmen turned up the heat in the second match of the day and tallied 17 kills (.333) collectively in the opening set compared to the Royals' eight (.031). Kim (.667) and first-year Kian Kischke (.500) combined for 10 kills to lead Hobart to a dominating 25-15 win in set one.
• EMU had no response for Hobart in the second set as it put down nine kills (.031) compared to the Statesmen's 11 (.296). Errors continued to plague the Royals as they were matched with an efficient Hobart side that extended its lead to 2-0 with a 25-16 win in set two.
• The third set saw the two sides trade the early points until the Statesmen took control at the 15-point mark. Sophomore's Aiden Kemora (.429) and Grayson Getz (.429) recorded four kills each in the third set to help Hobart to a 25-20 win to close out the sweep.

Match stats:

• Kim led Hobart for the second time of the day with 14 kills (.481) against the Royals. He was followed by Sappia (.182) and DeLong (.118) with seven each in the sweep. Getz (.333), Kemora (.333) and Kischke (.300) all chipped in five kills in the win.
• Farren and Lincoln once again ran the offense from the setter position and tallied 22 and 18 assists, respectively. The duo combined for six digs and one service ace through three sets.
• The Statesmen defense stepped up in the second match of the day and held a 48-37 advantage in digs. Kim led the team with 15, while Meador tallied 13. Both were a season high. Farren chipped in six digs in the win.
• Hobart held a 7-3 edge in blocks in the sweep and were led by Getz with a season-high five. Kim chipped in three blocks, while Sappia and Kischke added two each.

COACHES CORNER:

"Going undefeated again for a second week in a row is something we should be appreciative of," said Head Coach Steve England. "EMU is an athletic and well coached team. They had a lot of fight and put pressure on us from the service line. We had to earn evert point. I was happy to see a lot of guys get meaningful minutes. We still have to clean up our serving and middle connection. However, I am proud to continue our winning ways."

UP NEXT:
 
Hobart will be back in action next weekend when it heads to Boston, Massachusetts, for the Fenway Classic. The Statesmen will open the weekend against Baruch on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 1 p.m.