SALEM, Va. - Bridgewater College men's volleyball dropped both matches against Roanoke and Elizabethtown in the Roanoke tri-match on the road Saturday afternoon. 

The Basics 

Match 1 score: Roanoke (RC) 3, Bridgewater (BC) 0 

Match 2 score: Elizabethtown (EC) 3, Bridgewater (BC) 0 

Records: BC (3-16, 1-5 ODAC); RC (10-4, 5-1 ODAC), EC (14-4 OVR) 

How It Happened 

Match 1 

• Roanoke jumped out to a strong start, and the Eagles struggled to gain traction. In the opening set, RC powered explosive offensive runs through the middle of the set to separate themselves from the battling Eagles. The Maroons built a 12-5 lead and pushed the momentum even further soon after. Attack errors became the nagging setback for the Eagles as RC capitalized. RC took the first set, 25-13. 

• Much like the first set, the Maroons left no room for comfort in the second set. BC exerted efforts for a potential momentum swing as Aiden Weaver got offensive forces going off a service ace, but RC quickly bounced back to reclaim the lead. The Eagles battled close tying the score back up at 15 apiece with a pounding kill by Weaver. RC stopped the Eagles in their tracks, pulling away with the help of a four-point run to take a 20-15 lead. RC closed out the second set successfully with a 25-18 set score. 

• A quick and early scoring burst for the Maroons took hold to shape the third set. As BC continued to find a momentum push, RC countered effectively launching an 11-4 advantage. Then, Tomi Visgaitis worked efficient offense to set up a potential comeback rally late in the set and ignited a four-point run. However, the momentum stayed with the opposition, and RC secured the match with a third set score of 25-15. 

Match 2 

• Despite the hustled effort to fight for each point, Bridgewater struggled to sustain a commanding lead. Even with an early scoring run to open the set, Elizabethtown seized each opportunity on the attack and executed effectively. EC quickly stormed out of the deficit with the help of a four-point run and an offensive scoring burst. BC kept close and exchanged lead changes halfway through the set. EC changed the course of action with a four-point surge for a 17-14 advantage. BC could not grasp any momentum as EC took the first set, 25-18.  

• The Eagles fought harder in the second set, still searching for a sturdy lead. Back-and-forth kills occurred while Aiden Weaver got back to setting the pace for the offense with a spike midway in the set at 10-10. EC found the opening to break away as they strung together six-straight points push to a 17-13 lead. The Bluejays closed out the set with a 25-16 set score. 

• Same as the first match against RC, the Eagles worked to an early advantage to position themselves for a momentum hold. However, the Bluejays ripped off a seven-point scoring run to confidently stand strong in the third set. The Eagles could not recover from the scoring burst, and EC ended the match in three sets with a 25-15 final set score. 

Match Notes 

Match 1 

• Tomi Visgaitis displayed a hard-earned showing with 12 assists, two service aces, and a block. 

• Bridgewater stayed aggressive on offense despite the mounted errors recording 80 total attempts in the attack to Roanoke's 70. 

• Roanoke remained effective in hitting percentage with a healthy .414 while Bridgewater dropped to a .050 percentage. 

Match 2 

• Aiden Weaver collected half of the team's 22 kills on the day against Elizabethtown.

• Elizabethtown closed off offensive attacks for Bridgewater effectively, rejecting nine attacks. 

• Tomi Visgaitis contributed an impressive 14 assists for the team's 19 total. 

Up Next 

The Eagles are back in action on Saturday, March 7 to face nationally recognized Randolph-Macon and No. 9 nationally ranked SVU in a tri-match at home. The first match begins at 1 p.m.