The Royals split their second straight weekend homestand on Saturday, settling at 2-2 on the year. After a quick sweep of Lancaster Bible in the nightcap, Eastern Mennonite is now 2-0 against Division III competition this season.

The volleyball men will venture away from Yoder Arena for the first time next weekend, going to Union, New Jersey, for the Kean Clash. The Royals play Nazareth Friday night before getting host Kean and Vassar on Saturday. All three opponents are ranked in the top 10 of the AVCA Preseason Poll.

King 3, EMU 1
Eastern Mennonite started Saturday's tri-match against D-II King University. Despite the Tornado hailing from Bristol, Tenn., and playing in a different division, there was plenty of familiarity between the two opponents, as both rosters were stocked with talented players from the Richmond, Va., area.

The result was intense play throughout.

King scored the first four points of the day, but EMU quickly returned fire with their own 4-0 streak to tie things up at 6-6. They traded small leads before returning to a tie at 20-20. But a service error and block gave the Tornado two straight points and a little momentum to surge to a 25-22 decision.

The Royals had a couple of little runs in the second to gain the edge, taking a 20-15 lead on a big solo block from setter Christian Taylor (Richmond, Va./Deep Run). King got within one point three different times before Scott Brigham (Montpelier, Va./Patrick Henry) hammered down a kill to close out a 25-23 win.

After EMU scored the first three of the third, the visitors erupted and methodically worked to a 21-12 lead en route to a 25-18 final.

The Royals nearly erased a five-point deficit late in the fourth before King closed things out with a 25-22 clincher.

Freshman Josh Elmore (Chester, Va./Matoaca) had his best collegiate match with 12 kills, 14 digs and five blocks. Brigham and Tim Callahan (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) each added 10 kills, while Taylor came in with 36 assists to go with four blocks.

Middle Dan Lutz (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) had a team best seven blocks. Libero Colton Frey (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) had 12 digs.

King's middle Jon Wheaton led the way with 15 kills and seven blocks. Jeff Sprayberry added 12 kills and 12 digs.

EMU 3, Lancaster Bible 0
After King got by Lancaster Bible by a final of 3-1, the Royals quickly established their control of the Chargers by surging to a 9-2 lead. They never slowed down, with back-to-back kills from Dominic Zamiar (Midlothian, Ill./Oak Forest) finishing a 25-13 opener.

The men vaulted to a 17-6 lead in the second, only to watch Lancaster Bible use a 9-3 run to get within 20-15. But five unanswered points put an end to it, 25-15.

The Royals used an 8-0 steak early in the third to gain control at 14-6. Another 4-0 jab landed the knockout as EMU closed the night with another 25-13 decision.

Committing just seven attack errors, the men rattled off a .492 attack percentage, their best team total since hitting .548 in a sweep of Polytechnic (N.Y.) three years ago. Taylor put up 36 assists for an average of 12.0 per set.

William Ragland (North Chesterfield, Va./Thomas Dale) led all players with 11 kills on just 15 swings. He also had four of the team's six service aces.

Callahan finished with nine kills on 11 attacked for an .818 percentage. R.J. Ocampo (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) had five kills on six attempts for an .833 clip. Neither met the minimum of 10 kills needed to challenge Justin Reesor's program record of an .833 attack percentage (15 kills/18 attacks) from a 2007 match against New Paltz.

Lutz had five blocks, while Ocampo and Travis Abele (Mechanicsville, Va./Lee-Davis) each added four stuffs.

Kasey Gentry led LBC with nine kills, landing more than a third of his team's total.

Interim Coach Ross Madden said great passing got his team's offense in gear today: