Knights men’s volleyball victorious in home matches against Truett McConnell, Warren Wilson

LAURINBURG — The St. Andrews Knights men’s volleyball team had a successful Friday night of action on its home court, scoring a 3-0 Appalachian Athletic Conference win over Truett McConnell in the Knights’ first match, followed by a 3-0 nonconference win over Warren Wilson.

During their first matchup, the Knights’ Hazem Abdelghafar and Hugo-Gonzalez-Gutierrez led the way on offense, combining for 29 of a team total of 46 kills; Abdelghafar contributed 17, while Gonzalez-Gutierrez contributed 12. Alvearo Gonzalez also recorded six kills of his own.

St. Andrews career aces record holder Dakota Hotaling continued to be the cornerstone of the Knights’ offensive system, adding another 39 assists to his tally. On defense, Alex Vasquez-Sanchez showed his athleticism, logging 20 digs, followed by Abdelghafar’s eight digs; Hotaling and Gonzalez tallied five digs of their own.

The Knights took the match 25-23, 29-27 and 25-20.

In the Knights’ second matchup, Abdelghafar led the offense again with five kills, while Deonte Brewer, Khushpreet Sandhu and Ariel Fokoua each contributed four kills; Hotaling added 19 assists and Kendrick Marquez added six assists. Vasquez-Sanchez led the way on defense with seven digs.

The Knights won the match 25-13, 25-14 and 25-20, improving their record to 7-5.

St. Andrews’ next matchup will be away at Warren Wilson on Tuesday.