FRANKLIN SPRINGS, GA. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's volleyball team (0-1) opened the new season with a tough 3-2 loss to the Emmanuel College Lions (1-0) on Thursday night inside the Shaw Athletic Center. The loss gives the Lions a 2-1 advantage in the series all time.
 
The evening was highlighted by Daniel Leitao recording the program's first career triple-double. The junior setter finished the evening with 11 kills and a .625 hitting percentage and 27 assists. On defense, the Lisbon, Portugal native notched a team-high 15 digs. The feature is Leitao's first of his career as he posted a pair of double-doubles last season.
 
The new season kicked off with the Royals dropping the opening set 25-18. The Lions would put together a 10-2 run at the end of the set to take an early lead. Ruben Emmerich, Daniel Leitao, and JP Payne would each record a pair of kills in the first set. Leitao would add five assists and two blocks.
 
The Royals would even the score in the second when they dueled out the victory, 26-24. Queens used a late 7-2 rally to open the score and extend their lead. Trailing 24-21, Emmanuel earned three consecutive points which evened the score as they were looking to complete the comeback. The Royals would cancel those plans as they capitalized on a pair of Lion attacking errors to secure the set. In the second set, Matthew Pilch and Fletcher Murphy each recorded four kills and Daniel Leitao would tally eight assists.
 
The third saw another tightly contested set as neither team led by more than three throughout the set. The difference in the set proved to be the Lions hitting .205 as a team while the Royals hit .190 and committed four service errors. Leitao would shine on offense recording six kills in the set.
 
In a must-win fourth set, the Royals played their best volleyball of the evening and grabbed the win 25-17 which forced a fifth set. Queens hit a game-high .400 while holding the Lions to a .138 mark. Emmanuel committed six attacking errors which the Royals managed to capitalize on with points. Jack Brinkman played a quality fourth set earning three kills and three digs.
 
In the first deciding set of the season, the Royals opened with a 4-1 lead and appeared to carry over their dominance from the fourth set. A young Lions team would remain composed and responded while closing on a 9-2 run and earning the match victory.
 
As a team, the Royals earned 13 total blocks as JP Payne contributed seven block assists and Fletcher Murphy added six. Queens recorded a .214 hitting percentage while holding Emmanuel to a .160 mark. Jack Brinkman led the Royals with 13 kills while adding nine digs. Matthew Pilch had a great defensive night with 12 digs and four block assists.
 
Jayden Young led the Lions with a game-high 19 kills and .341 hitting percentage. Henrik Westhoff facilitated the attack with 50 assists while adding eight digs.
 
Queens will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 15 for their season opener when they welcome Lees-McRae to Curry Arena. First serve is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Be sure to follow the Royals men's volleyball program on Instagram to stay up to date on all the latest news and updates surrounding the team. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media @QueensAthletics to follow all of the Royals sports in action.
 
The Queens University of Charlotte Department of Athletics has announced updates to its fan attendance policy for upcoming home athletic events due to the current rise in COVID-19 cases locally, statewide, and nationally. For the immediate future, Queens Athletics events will not be open to the general public.  Only individuals whose names are on the player/guest pass list will be admitted. Guest from visiting teams should work through their respective institutions to ensure that they are able to attend.  Additionally, social distancing and face coverings are required at all times.  Gates will open 30 minutes prior to the start of the scheduled event.  No tailgating is allowed on the premises.  This new policy will go into effect on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022.
 
Queens Athletics will continue to stream as many home events as possible on the Queens Sports Network. To keep up with the Royals from home, stream games live on your computer or mobile devices by visiting www.queensathletic.com or downloading the Queens Royals app. Fans can download the Queens Athletics app on their Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV devices.  Just type Queens University or Queens University Athletics into the search bar.