Reading, Pa. (Mar. 30, 2022)- Alvernia University (13-10, 7-5) ran past Eastern University (7-12, 3-8) 3-1 Wednesday night in a MAC men's volleyball matchup at Alvernia.
 
With the win, Alvernia clinched a berth into the 2022 MAC Championship. The Golden Wolves sit in fourth place with one match remaining and have not yet locked in a seed in the five-team tournament.
 
The Golden Wolves opened the contest on a 3-1 run, with First-Year Nick Cummins recording two kills in the short stretch. Alvernia kept the pressure on Eastern throughout the set, as a 4-0 run gave the Golden Wolves a 10-6 lead.
 
As the set progressed, the Golden Wolves continued to rack up the kills. Tyler Anderson and Caleb Whitehead capitalized on the momentum, going on a 5-1 run to take a 19-12 Alvernia lead. Despite a push from Eastern, Alvernia ended the first on a 4-0 run, which was capped off by a kill from Cummins. The Golden Wolves finished the first set on top, 25-17.
 
Alvernia started the second set on a 3-0 run, utilizing the momentum from the first set. The Eagles responded, making it a 4-4 game early in the second stanza. Shane McNicholas and Brian Rea helped keep the contest close, giving Alvernia a slight edge, 8-6.
 
The Golden Wolves kept the pressure up, as Cummins and Anderson led a 6-2 run to give Alvernia a 14-9 lead. Whitehead and Cummins continued to test Eastern's defense, taking a commanding 23-12 lead late. The Eagles tried to climb back into the contest, but the Golden Wolves' offense proved to be too much, as Alvernia claimed the second set 25-16.
 
Eastern rebounded in the third stanza, taking a 4-1 run over Alvernia. The Golden Wolves kept fighting throughout the set, with Aidan Wunderly recording an ace midway through the stanza to make it 15-14 in favor of the Eagles.
 
The Golden Wolves' offense continued to battle, going on a 7-5 run and taking a slim one-point lead over the Eagles. Despite the run by Alvernia, the Eagles were able to respond with a 3-0 run to take a 23-21 lead. Eastern would hold on and win the third set, 29-27.
 
The fourth set started back and forth as both teams fought to gain back momentum. Wunderly and Whitehead recorded important kills early in the stanza to give Alvernia a slim 8-6 lead. Rea and Cummins utilized the momentum, tallying kills of their own and growing the Golden Wolves' lead to six.
 
Eastern's offense kept fighting, trimming Alvernia's lead to four, making it a 23-19 game. Despite the effort, the Golden Wolves proved to be too much as Wunderly put down the final kill of the contest. Alvernia ended the fourth stanza on top of Eastern 25-21 and claimed the contest, 3-1.
 
Cummins recorded a career-high 24 kills to go along with 11 digs and three service aces. Anderson tallied nine kills, three digs, and two blocks assists, while Rea recorded seven kills and four block assists during the contest.
 
The Golden Wolves return to action Saturday as they travel to take on Widener University in the regular-season finale.