FORT VALLEY, Ga. – The Wildcats left no doubt who is in first place in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference right now Saturday afternoon. Fort Valley State dominated defending SIAC champion Edward Waters in straight sets, 3-0, and posted the 10th win in a season for the first time for the young men's volleyball program.
FVSU ran off six-straight tallies in the opening set and opened an 11-4 lead. Still leading 20-12, the Wildcats netted the final five scores, including a tandem Saferino Dour and Jose Gallardo block for the final point, 25-12. Holding a 14-8 second-set advantage, the home team put together a five-point string with kills by Isaiah Fedd and Chey Cooper to make it double figures (19-8) before Cooper aced the final point (25-11). FVSU did not allow Edward Waters any momentum in the third set as it put the opening six points on the scoreboard and pushed it finished the match on a 9-1 run capped by another Cooper service ace and 25-11 final set score.
With the victory, FVSU posted its first 10-win season in the three years of the men's volleyball program. The Wildcats move to 10-7 overall and remain perfect in atop of the SIAC at 5-0.
Jaxon Hicks powered the FVSU frontline with 13 kills without an error in 18 swings for a .722 percentage. He also dug five balls to go with three aces, three blocks and two assists.
Cooper had an all-around match as well with eight kills, .389 hitting, four aces, three blocks and four digs. Raheem Thomas was stout at the net with seven total blocks to go with two kills and a dig. Fedd chipped in three kills, four digs and an ace, while Dour added two kills, two digs and a block.
Gallardo set up 19 kills and dug seven attacks.
FVSU tries to stay undefeated in league play as it travels Wednesday evening (March 27) to Atlanta for a 6 p.m. match at Morehouse College.
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