CAMBRIDGE, MA. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's volleyball rallied in the final two sets to drop King University 3-2 in the final match of the Harvard Invitational on Saturday afternoon. The five-set victory was the Royals second this season as they improve to 1-1 in deciding fifth sets. With the victory, Queens improves to 2-3 overall while King falls to 1-2.
 
The afternoon was highlighted by another standout performance from junior Daniel Leitao. The Portugal native notched a game-high 24 kills on a .568 attack percentage. The 24 kills are the fourth most in the program's young history. Leitao would also add six assists and nine digs on the afternoon. In the season opener, the junior setter notched the program's first career triple-double.
 
In the first set, Queens jumped out to an early 5-1 lead, but King would respond with a 5-0 run of their own. The Tornado would capture the lead and never trail the remainder of the set cruising to a 25-16 victory to gather an early advantage. The Royals only managed to hit .037 in the first with seven attack errors and four service errors. The Tornado countered with a .258 hitting percentage and 12 kills while also recording four aces.
 
The Royals wasted no time gaining a lead in the second as they jumped out to a quick 10-4 lead by means of a 6-1 run. King would respond with an 11-5 run of their own which evened the score, 19-19. However, the Royals would buckle down in the end and grab the second set 25-22 to tie the match 1-1. Queens played a much better set earning 15 kills on a .333 hitting percentage while limiting the Tornado attack to a .226 mark.
 
The third set was a tightly contested opener as both squads were looking to avoid needing back-to-back wins in the final two sets. The largest lead over the course of the third set was four by the Tornado. The Royals would continue to fight and inch closer and even tie the set, 19-19, but King would ultimately grab the third. Queens struggled again on the attack only hitting .172 with five attack errors. King would hit .258 with 15 kills despite committing seven attack errors. Between the second and third sets combined, the Royals managed to record seven blocks.
 
Needing a pair of victories in the final two sets, Queens did not open the fourth set as they would have liked to falling behind early 10-5. However, Queens would slowly progress forward putting together a 5-1 run and grabbing an 18-15 lead. The Royals found their rhythm on offense as they hit .409 with 11 kills and took the set 25-20 and forced a deciding fifth set.
 
The Royals are coming off a season in which they played 10 matches into the fifth set. This season, they were 0-1 after falling in five sets in the season opener at Emmanuel College. Queens erupted in the fifth opening with a 7-3 lead. The Tornado struggled to find their groove in the final set hitting a game-low .200 with four kills. The Royals would strike a game-best .647 with 13 kills and come from behind to defeat King.
 
While Daniel Leitao led the offensive outburst, Brandon Grabow facilitated the Royals attack by dishing out 43 assists which is fifth most in program history for a single match. Jack Brinkman would continue his dominance on offense recording 10 kills while adding six digs on defense.
 
King was led offensively by Chance Hoffman who notched 23 kills and a .450 attack percentage. AJ Drooker set up the Tornado attack with 44 assists.
 
Queens will now head back to Charlotte and prepare for a pair of home matches next weekend inside Curry Arena. The Royals will host the University of Charleston on Friday at 7:00 p.m. before welcoming Barton College on Saturday at 4:00 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.