at Spalding

John Carroll opened the conference slate on the road against a strong Spalding side and made a real match of it, falling 3-1 — 22-25, 25-20, 16-25, 24-26 — with the fourth set going all the way to 26-24. The Patriots answered a tight opener by taking the second set 25-20, and were level with Spalding deep into the fourth before the hosts closed it out. Jackson DeReamer, Peyton Williams and Luke Boyle led an attack that put down 32 kills across the four sets, eleven of them in that fourth set alone. Tyler Olivi was outstanding in the back court, digging ball after ball to keep long rallies alive against as much offensive pressure as the Patriots have seen this season — Spalding's two outside hitters attacked relentlessly all evening, and John Carroll answered with a disciplined block and steady defense, four stuffs on the night. A competitive, high-intensity night against a quality opponent, and plenty to carry into the rest of the conference slate.