AUSTIN, TX. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's volleyball team capped off the First Point Collegiate Challenge with a victory over Fairleigh Dickinson University, 3-1 on Saturday afternoon. The Royals leave Texas with a 1-1 record and improved their overall record to 5-4 and 1-0 in IVA play. Playing in their inaugural season, the Knights went 0-2 at the challenge and fell to 0-5 and 0-1 in IVA play.
 
In the opening set, Queens wasted no time jumping on the Knights grabbing a 12-3 lead on five kills. The Knights would respond and close the deficit to seven, but the Royals answered with a 7-1 run and took a 20-7 lead. Fairleigh Dickinson would try to mount a comeback with a 5-1 run, but the deficit was too much as the Royals grabbed the first set 25-13. The Royals were scorching hot on the attack in the first hitting .370 with 11 kills while accruing nine block assists. The Knights would struggle in the opener hitting -.139 with ten attack errors and six service errors.
 
The second set saw the stats flip as the Royals only managed to hit .138 while committing seven attack errors. The Knights would minimize their attack errors with five in the second and a .200 hitting percentage, but they continued to struggle at the service line with five more errors. Trailing 23-20, the Royals would try to mount a comeback and close the gap to 24-23, but the Knights earned a kill to grab the set 25-23.
 
Looking to regain their rhythm and momentum, Royals Head Coach Jeremy Price made an adjustment and put Jack Brinkman into the attack. Brinkman would provide a huge spark for the Royals earning six kills and hitting .556 in the set alone. For the set, Queens hit a game-high .500 with 15 kills and a .625 kill percentage. The Royals netminders would apply pressure on the Knights attack earning seven block assists and forcing the visitors into seven attack errors. Fairleigh Dickinson would continue their struggles from the service line totaling six errors in the third set.
 
The fourth set opened favoring Fairleigh Dickinson as the Knights grabbed a quick 6-2 advantage. The Royals would respond with a 7-3 run and even the score 9-9 before both teams went back-and-forth throughout most of the set. All tied 19-19, Queens would turn to four different Royals for a kill as they produced a 6-3 run to close out the set.
 
For the match, Queens finished with 53 kills and a .304 hitting percentage while adding 12 total blocks on defense. The Royals would set a program record with 24 block assists as JP Payne led the way with eight. Daniel Leitao would earn his second double-double of the season finishing with 13 kills and 11 digs. Jack Brinkman provided a spark for Queens totaling 11 kills on a .450 hitting percentage. Brandon Grabow would facilitate the offense notching a game-high 39 assists.
 
For the Knights, Jack Lydon posted a game-high 14 kills while adding six digs. Fairleigh Dickinson would finish the evening with 36 kills and a .059 hitting percentage and 29 attack errors.
 
Queens will continue their road stand on Friday, Feb. 11 when they travel to Lincoln Memorial for a 7:00 p.m. serve. 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.