GENEVA, N.Y. –The 20th-ranked Hobart volleyball team bounced back with a 3-0 sweep of Nazareth, which was receiving votes in this week's AVCA national poll. With the win, the Statesmen improve to 5-5 on the season, while the Golden Flyers fall to 7-4 overall.
 
Junior Noah DeLong led the way for Hobart with 10 kills (.529), three digs, one solo block and one service ace in the sweep. First-year Harry Fromberg (.727) and junior Aiden Kemora (.467) chipped in nine kills each and combined for four digs and three blocks in the win. Sophomore Kian Kischke added six kills (.857) out of the middle and added two service aces, two blocks and one dig. Classmate Alain Malcolm put down five kills (.833) and added two blocks in the sweep.
 
First-year Charlie Dugan and junior Zack Farren led the Statesmen offense from the setter position in the win. Dugan tallied a team-leading 19 assists and added one service ace, while Farren added 15 assists and one dig.
 
Ryan Murphy (.563) and Sean Frawley (.316) led Nazareth with 10 kills each and combined for five digs, three service aces and two blocks. Aj Burda tallied a team-high 25 assists and added six kills (.286), two digs and block in the loss.

MATCH MOMENTS:

• Hobart came out hot, combining for 12 kills (.474) while holding Nazareth to just nine kills (.273). The Statesmen ran an efficient offense and used a kill from Kischke to close out the opening set in favor of Hobart 25-20.
• The Statesmen continued on their momentum in the second set, combining for a match-high 18 kills (.615) as a team. The Golden Flyers put down 12 kills (.400) but back-to-back kills from Kischke would extend Hobarts lead to 2-0 with a close 25-23 win.
• Nazareth responded well in the must-win third set as it combined for 15 kills (.250) compared to Hobart's 11 (.429). The Golden Flyers took the lead early, but the Statesmen fought back, chipping away at Nazareth's lead. Fromberg took over down the stretch and put down a big kill followed by huge solo block to close out the sweep with a 26-24 win.

Match stats:

• DeLong led the Statesmen with 10 kills (.529) in the sweep. Kemora (.467) and Fromberg (.727) added nine kills each in the win, while Kischke chipped in six kills (.857). Malcolm recorded five kills (.833) out of the middle for Hobart.
• Dugan tallied a team-high 19 assists and added one service ace in the win. Farren chipped in 15 assists and one dig as well.
• Hobart combined for 13 digs as a team and were led by DeLong and Kemora with three each. Junior libero Gavin Meador added two digs in the sweep.
• The Statesmen held a 7-3 advantage in blocks in the win and were led by junior Daniel Sappia, Malcolm, Fromberg and Kischke with two each.
• The Purple and Orange combined for five aces as a team and were led by Kischke with two. Sappia, DeLong and Dugan chipped in one service ace each for Hobart.

COACHES CORNER:
 
"Tonight's match was a great chess match between two strong UVC teams," said Head Coach Steve England. "Eben is going to great with the Naz program. We wish him the best of luck in his first season as a head coach. We are looking forward to many tough battles in the future. Our offense was impressive tonight. We executed the game plan and found our grit in the third set as we fell behind early and stayed composed to finish out the sweep."
  
UP NEXT:
 
Hobart will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 6, when it travels to Springfield, Massachusetts, for the 2026 Morgan Classic. The Statesmen will open play against Drew at 8:15 p.m.