The men's volleyball team competed at the 2014 Live Free or Die Invitational, hosted by Rivier on Saturday afternoon.  The Wildcats opened the tournament with a 3-0 (26-28, 13-25, 12-25) setback against fifth-ranked Baruch and finished the day with a 3-0 (19-25, 17-25, 24-26) loss to No. 1 Springfield, the defending national champion.

In the loss to Baruch, Johnson & Wales was led by junior setter J.J. Bessette (Coventry, R.I.) with 16 set assists, four digs and two blocks while senior Shawn Kennedy (West Barnstable, Mass.) had a team-best eight kills, three digs and a pair of service aces for the Wildcats.  Jack McKee and Brady Ambro each had 12 kills for Baruch while Scott Standring tallied 31 set assists in the victory.

In the loss to Springfield, Bessette again led the way for JWU with 20 set assists and four digs while Kennedy notched seven kills and three digs.  Springfield was led by Luis Vega with nine kills, three digs and two service aces while Luis Garcia Rubio tallied 28 set assists for the Pride.

Johnson & Wales is 3-2 on the season and will return to action on Sunday, February 2^nd for day two of the Live Free or Die Invitational.