BUFFALO, NY – Sophomore Ryan DeJohn led the Roberts Wesleyan University Men's Volleyball team with 18 kills as the Redhawks came back after dropping a tight first set to post a 3-1 season-opening victory over D'Youville University Thursday to start the 2026 campaign.

The win for Roberts (1-0) was the first over the Saints (0-1) in program history as D'Youville had won the first four meetings in the series including a pair of five-set wins in 2025.

The Saints rallied for a 29-27 win in the first set after Roberts failed on a pair of set points late in the set.

The Redhawks rebounded to win the second set 25-20 and took a lead in the match with a 25-19 win in the third set before capping the match with a 25-22 win in the fourth set.

Monrad was the offensive leader with 18 kills and just seven errors for a .333 attack percentage, Freshman Jordan Hoover added 13 kills and an impressive .348 attack percentage and assisted on four blocks.

Sophomore Landon Brouwer led the team with 47 assists and added six digs while senior Moises Jimenez and junior Paul Fillion added five digs each for the balanced defense.

The same two teams will meet Saturday as Roberts celebrates the home opener with a 2 p.m. match in the Voller Athletic Center. Prior to the match four U12 youth teams will play exhibition matches on the Redhawks home court with the youth matches starting at 10:30 am.