SPRINGFIELD, Mass.—The 20th-ranked Hobart volleyball team went 1-1 at the Morgan Classic over the weekend, sweeping Drew 3-0 to advance to the championship match Saturday where it fell to No. 1 Springfield 3-0. With the results, the Statesmen move to 6-6 on the season.
 
Junior Aiden Kemora and sophomore Kian Kischke were selected to the Morgan Classic All-Tournament team after two solid performances. Kemora led Hobart through two matches with 18 kills (.196), 10 digs, two blocks and two service aces. Kischke put down 12 kills (.647) and added seven service aces and three blocks on the weekend.
 
Juniors Noah DeLong (.226) and Daniel Sappia (.250) added 14 kills each on the weekend. DeLong chipped in four digs and three service aces, while Sappia tallied seven digs, three service aces, two blocks and one assist. First-year Harry Fromberg recorded nine kills (.375), three digs and one block on the weekend for Hobart.
 
Junior Zack Farren and first-year Charlie Dugan led the Statesmen from the setter position. Farren combined for 32 assists and added two digs while Dugan chipped in 30 assists, four digs and two service aces through six sets played. Junior libero Gavin Meador led Hobart defensively with 11 digs and three assists through two matches.

MATCH MOMENTS:
 
Match 1 (Drew):

• The opening set saw Drew jump out to an early lead before Hobart settled in and chipped its way back into the game. The Statesmen put down 12 kills (.321) as a team compared to the Rangers' 11 (.320) and used a kill and a service ace from DeLong to secure a come-from-behind 25-22 win in set one.
• Hobart continued on its momentum into the second set, combining for 12 kills (.348) as a team, while holding Drew to a match-low seven kills (.143). The Statesmen jumped out to a 9-4 lead early and never looked back. A big block by Kischke and Kemora would close out set two with a 25-18 win in favor of Hobart.
• The Statesmen came out hot in the third set, completing the sweep with a dominant 17 kill (.583) performance. The Rangers combined for just 10 kills (.174) as a team as Hobart closed out the nonconference battle with a 25-21 win in set three.

Match stats:

• DeLong (.300) and Kemora (.273) led the Statesmen in the sweep with 10 kills each. Sappia chipped in eight kills (.615), while Kischke (.714) and Fromberg (.300) added five kills each in the win. First-year Ben Welsh added three kills (1.00) out of the middle for Hobart.
• Farren and Dugan led the Statesmen from the setter position, recording 17 assists each in the sweep. The duo combined for six digs as well in the win.
• Hobart combined for 23 digs as a team and were led by Meador's seven digs. Kemora added five digs, while Dugan chipped in four in the sweep. Farren, DeLong and Sappia added two digs each for the Statesmen.
• The Statesmen held an 11-5 advantage from the service line and was led by Kischke with five aces. DeLong and Kemora added two aces, while Sappia and Welsh chipped in one service ace each.

Match 2 (Springfield):

• Both sides came out swinging in the championship match as Hobart combined for 11 kills (.333) compared to Springfield's 10 (.500) in the opening set. The Pride found crucial points from the service line to grab a 25-17 win in set one.
• The Statesmen fought back in set two, putting down a match-high 15 kills (.290), while holding the Pride to nine kills (.333). Hobart pushed the top-ranked team in the country to extra points in set two but ultimately fell 29-27 to Springfield.
• Both Hobart and Springfield struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the third set as the Statesmen combined for four kills (-0.222) while the Pride put down a match-low five kills (.182). Hobart racked up eight hitting errors in the must-win set, handing Springfield a 25-14 win in set three.

Match stats:

• Kemora led the Statesmen with eight kills (.125) in the loss. Kischke chipped in seven kills (.600) out of the middle, while Sappia added six (.000) through three sets. DeLong (.091) and Fromberg (.500) each added four kills in the setback. Welsh put down one kill (.000) for Hobart.
• Farren and Dugan once again ran Hobart's offense from the setter position. Farren tallied 15 assists, while Dugan chipped in 13. Dugan added two service aces for the Statesmen.
• Hobart combined for 19 digs as a team and were led by Sappia and Kemora with five digs each. Meador added four, while DeLong and Fromberg chipped in two digs each in the loss.
• The Statesmen served up seven aces as a team and was led by Sappia, Kischke and Dugan with two each. DeLong added one service ace in the loss.

UP NEXT:
 
Hobart will be back in action Feb. 14-15 when it heads to Berea, Ohio, for the 2026 Baldwin Wallace Tournament. The Statesmen will open the weekends action against No. 8 Messiah on Saturday at 3 p.m. followed by a matchup with the 10th-ranked Yellowjackets at 7 p.m. Hobart will conclude the weekends action against Benedictine on Sunday at 11 a.m.