ROCHESTER, NY – With over half of its opponents ranked in the top 15 nationally, it's been tough sledding so far for the Johnson & Wales University men's volleyball team. After dropping a 3-0 decision to fifth-ranked host Nazareth to start day two of the Golden Flyer Tournament, the Wildcats beat D'Youville, 3-2.

The Golden Flyers took the first match 25-13, 25-15, 25-20. The Wildcats won the last match 20-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21, 15-8 as they beat DC for the second time this season. Johnson & Wales record moved to 3-8.

Against D'Youville, freshman setter Cameron Ponce (San Jose, Calif.) nearly had his second triple double of the year as he recorded 11 kills, 27 assists and five digs. He was named the All-Tournament team. Junior Brendan Baker (Providence, RI) was next on the offensive attack, notching nine kills. Six different players had five or more kills.

Making the biggest difference in the match was JWU's blocking. The Wildcats dominated at the net, 20-7, which helped them hold a .247-to-.024 hitting percentage advantage. After the two teams split the first two sets, the match came down to a deciding fifth frame. The Spartans pulled to within 7-5 on a JWU attack error, but the Wildcats responded with a 7-0 run, fueled by five DC errors, on their way to winning the match.

In the opening match, Nazareth's defense made the difference. The Golden Flyers had a 37-21 advantage in digs that they translated into a .293-to-.095 hitting percentage margin. Ponce led the offensive attack with five kills and 13 assists as well as five digs.

Johnson & Wales opens GNAC competition this week when it travels to Emerson on Thursday.