CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In the Royals home opener of the new season, the Queens University of Charlotte men's volleyball team picked up a 3-0 victory over the Lees-McRae Bobcats inside Curry Arena. The Royals have beaten the Bobcats in all eight meetings, including three consecutive straight set sweeps. With the win, Queens improves to 1-1 on the season while Lees-McRae falls to 0-1.
 
Early in the first set, both squads exchanged points and neither team could establish a comfortable lead. The Royals would put together a four-point rally which was capped off by a Jack Brinkman kill to extend the lead to 10-6. Ahead by one late in the set, Queens closed out with a 6-2 push and sealed the set on a Bobcats service error. Lees McRae committed six service errors in the opener while hitting .194 compared to the Royals .094. The Royals managed to capitalize in the set at the service line with five aces.
 
Queens carried over the momentum from the first set victory and jumped out to a 9-4 lead. The attack errors counted to mount for the Bobcats as they committed 11 miscues in the second set. The stifling Royals defense would hold the Bobcats to a -.318 hitting percentage while Queens hit .125. Jack Brinkman would dominate the second set as the junior led the Royals with three kills and three service aces.
 
The Royals would jolt ahead early in the third set gathering a comfortable 9-2 lead. The Bobcats, playing in their season opener, would not back down easily as they responded with an impressive 10-3 run. The push was not enough though as Queens would hit a team-best .244 in the third set with 15 kills to secure the straight set sweep. Five Royals would tally multiple kills in the third set and Brinkman led the way again with four.
 
On the afternoon, Queens hit .169 on 89 attempts while forcing Lees McRae into a .117 percentage and 19 errors. Jack Brinkman finished the match with a team-high nine kills and six service aces. The six aces are a new program record which was previously held by Cody Nix who acquired five aces on Jan. 16, 2020 against Belmont Abbey. Ananias Hayes would tally eight kills and nine digs while Brandon Grabow facilitated the attack with a game-high 24 assists.
 
The Bobcats were led by Michael Marsans who hit .275 with a game-best 18 kills. Bradley Peters would dish out 22 assists and record nine digs.
 
Queens will return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 18 for a matchup with the University of Mount Olive inside Curry Arena. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 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.