FORT VALLEY, Ga. – Fort Valley State University Men's Volleyball (1-5) fell in a tightly contested three-set match to Barry University (4-2) Friday evening.
FVSU got off to a hot start in the opening set, as a free-ball kill from
Constantine Ononye knotted the score at 1-1 before the Wildcats outscored the Buccaneers 5-1 to take a 6-2 lead. The two squads traded three-point runs midway through the set, with Fort Valley State maintaining a 12-7 advantage. The remainder of the set stayed point-for-point until Barry rattled off four straight points to steal the first set, 26-24.
The second set nearly mirrored the first. After matching an early Barry point, the Wildcats used a 4-1 run to grab a 4-2 lead. The Buccaneers responded with a three-point run to tie the set at 8-8, then took their first lead of the match on a 4-1 scoring surge to go up 14-13. FVSU answered with three straight points to reclaim the lead at 16-14, but the difference came when Barry put together a five-point run to take a 19-16 advantage. The Wildcats attempted to chip away with multiple two-point runs, but ultimately fell 25-23.
The Wildcats opened the third set with energy, scoring two straight points highlighted by an
Isaiah Fedd service ace. FVSU extended the lead to 5-2 behind three consecutive kills, but Barry answered with an eight-point run to seize an 11-6 advantage. Fort Valley State battled back with a three-point run to close the gap to 19-14, but two late points from the Buccaneers sealed the set and the match, 25-18.
Fedd led the Wildcats offensively with 10 kills while hitting .333 on the evening and added a team-high three service aces.
Muhammad Mbaye also had a strong performance, tallying six kills on an impressive .556 hitting percentage while recording two service aces.
Jeremyah Gaston paced the offense with 17 assists, while
Logan Rogers and
Logan Eaton contributed seven assists apiece. Ononye led the Wildcats defensively with eight digs, followed by Fedd with six.
Taviian Martin anchored the net with two block assists and a solo block.
The Wildcats will look for redemption against the Buccaneers on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at 2 p.m. inside HPE.
