WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- After a historic first game for the Elizabethtown College men's volleyball team this past Wednesday, the Blue Jays took on Wilkes and Keuka on Saturday in more non-conference action. Both matches were five-set thrillers as E-town won over the Colonels, but dropped their first of the season to the Wolves.

Elizabethtown (2-1) was down late in the first set, but got within two points, 23-21. Wilkes (2-1) took the next two points to win the set and take an early 1-0 lead. The Blue Jays jumped out 4-0 in the second, capped off by an Ethan Maurer kill. Wilkes would come back to tie it at 5-5, but five straight from Elizabethtown had them doubling up the Colonels, 10-5.

Wilkes didn't go away as they would come back and overtake EC for a two-point advantage, 17-15. A kill from Nick Baxter, one of a team-high 30 in the match, got a point back for the Jays. Maurer followed it up with an ace to knot up the score at 17-17.

The teams battled back and forth over the final portion of the second set. With each team at 25, a blocking error by Wilkes and then an attacking error on the Colonels gave Elizabethtown the set victory and made it 1-1.

E-town took led for much of the third set and didn't relinquish the lead after getting back in front off an 8-8 tie. Back-to-back kills by Baxter coupled with an ace by Tim Zieber helped the Jays to a comfortable lead late in the set as they closed it out, 25-18, to grab a two sets to one lead over Wilkes.

The Colonels took set four to force the fifth set. The sides traded the first six points and were 3-3 as a result. Once again, Elizabethtown took grasp of the lead and didn't let it go. Baxter finished off the match with a service ace to move the Blue Jays to 2-0. Baxter hit .404 in the match and Zieber provided 40 assists. Joey Nelson led the team defensively with 12 digs. Steven Schreffler added nine and Mark Hall had a pair of solo blocks.

The hitting percentage took a dip in the second game of the day against Keuka (1-0), playing their first match of the season. The Wolves were able to record double-digit kills in each of the first four sets. E-town had a 2-1 lead in the match, but a fourth-set 25-22 win by Keuka forced a fifth and the Wolves would hang on for a 15-13 set win to take the match.

Elizabethtown trailed 13-9 in the fifth before Maurer had consecutive kills for the Blue Jays and a ball handling error pushed E-town to within a point of Keuka. The Wolves got two of the next three to finish off the match and send Elizabethtown to its first loss of the season.

Maurer and Baxter each had 12 kills apiece against Keuka. Schreffler contributed eight of his own. Nelson had a team-high 14 digs and Zieber totaled 30 assists.

The Blue Jays will play at Alvernia on Tuesday, January 29, at 7 p.m.