PHILLIPI, W.V. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's volleyball team (15-11, 6-2 IVA) swept their Saturday doubleheader on the road defeating D'Youville and Alderson Broaddus in Phillipi, W.V. The victories extended the Royals winning streak to six matches which is a new program record after they previously won five straight last season.
 
In game two of the doubleheader, the Royals hit a season-high .400 on the attack while also adding their third most kills on the season with 60. The hitting percentage is second best in program history behind their .415 mark against Alderson Broaddus on Feb. 20, 2020. Across their six-game winning streak, Queens is hitting .316 as a team and averaging 50.5 kills per match.
 
Queens 3 | D'Youville 0
In the first match of the afternoon, the Royals recorded their fifth straight victory, and their fifth straight set sweep this season defeating D'Youville (8-10, 2-2 IVA) 3-0. The Royals attack was in sequence for the entire match as Queens hit .349 with 45 kills. The hitting percentage is the third highest mark from Queens this season.
 
The Royals wasted no time jumping on the Saints as the visitors grabbed a quick 9-3 lead behind six kills which forced an early D'Youville timeout. Trailing 11-5, D'Youville would respond with a 7-2 rally to close the deficit to 13-12. The two would exchange points and the Saints would even tie the set at 17-17, but the Royals never gave up the lead as they took the early lead. In the opening set, Queens hit .297 with 15 kills while holding the Saints to a .162 mark and just 11 kills.
 
Queens maintained their rhythm throughout the entire second set. Despite the back-and-forth affair halfway through the set, Queens countered the Saints with consecutive points to earn the set 25-20. Despite struggling from the service line, the Royals hit .464 with 15 kills and D'Youville was held to a .192 mark and nine kills. In the second, Jack Brinkman was in rhythm earning six kills for Queens.
 
Looking to complete the straight set sweep, the Royals won the battle in the third 25-21 to secure the victory. Alike the second set, the Saints battled and continue to inch closer by cutting into the Royals lead, but Queens would answer every time and held off any comeback chances. In the final set, the Royals hit .315 with 15 kills to close out a dominate first match.
 
Jack Brinkman led the Royals with 16 kills on 33 attempts and nine digs. Freshman Matthew Pilch would add 11 kills which was one shy of tying his season high. Fletcher Murphy was also efficient on the attack earning nine kills on 18 attempts. Daniel Leitao set up the Royals offense with 37 assists while adding nine digs on defense. Ruben Emmerich recorded seven digs on defense for the Royals.
 
Queens 3 | Alderson Broaddus 1
In the afternoon cap, the Royals continued their offensive production early against the Battlers. The opening set was a tight battle as there were 11 ties and three lead changes. The turning point in the set proved to be a 4-0 run by Alderson Broaddus as they trailed 16-15. The brief rally propelled them ahead and the Royals were not able to overcome the deficit. Queens earned 19 kills in the opener behind a .310 hitting percentage while the Battlers posted 12 kills on a .344 hitting percentage. The Royals struggled from the service line in the opener committing six errors compared to the Battlers two.
 
Similar to the first set, the second frame opened tightly contested again as neither team could gain a lead more than two. All even 14-14, the Royals would go on an 8-0 run to grab a commanding 22-14 lead as they looked to even the score. Queens would hit a game-best .478 in the second with 14 kills while holding Alderson Broaddus to a .174 mark with eight kills. After a faulty start from the service line, Queens flipped the script and recorded five aces in the second.
 
In the third, the Royals would jump out to an 8-2 lead early capped off by a kill from Ananias Hayes. The two squads would exchange points before the Battlers went on a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to 14-10. However, Queens countered with an 8-1 surge extending the lead to 22-11. Altogether, the visiting Royals closed the set on an incredible 11-2 run to gain the 2-1 lead. In the third, the Royals hit .476 with 13 kills.
 
Looking to close the afternoon victorious and continue their dominance, the Royals used another lengthy rally to jolt ahead of the Battlers. Trailing 6-5, Queens went on a 7-0 run to open their lead to 12-6. The Royals lead would hold for the remainder of the set despite a late 5-0 push from the Battlers. Queens closed out the afternoon by hitting .414 with 14 kills and a pair of aces.
 
Ananias Hayes led the Royals in game two posting a double-double with 15 kills on 27 attempts and 11 digs. Jack Brinkman led the Royals with 16 kills and a .682 hitting percentage. Daniel Leitao facilitated the offense with 46 assists while also adding six digs. JP Payne, Stirling Sims, and Ryan Cymbor would all add efficient afternoons on the attack.
 
Queens will wrap up their six-game road stand and their regular season on Thursday, April 14 at Limestone University. The match is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. from Gaffney, S.C. Following the regular season finale, the Royals will turn their attention to the IVA Championships which will be hosted inside Curry Arena on April 22-23. For more information on the IVA Championships, please visit the tournament website.
 
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.