The Misericordia University men's volleyball team opened the season with a split of a tri-match with St. John Fisher and Cairn, Saturday on Doc Mould Court.
 
The Cougars dropped the opener to nationally-ranked St. John Fisher, 3-0, but took the nightcap against Cairn, 3-1.
 
Anthony DePalma had seven kills and three blocks against Fisher and Benjamin Clendening had five blocks in his collegiate debut.
 
Austin Cervasio added four kills and three blocks.
 
DePalma had 21 kills and two aces in the nightcap and Clendening had eight kills and three blocks.
 
Kyle Ganoe had 24 assists.
 
The teams traded aces and errors early in the first set as the Cougars and Cardinals were tied 5-5 before St. John Fisher ran off six straight points.
 
The Cougars battled back and took advantage of three errors to get within 20-18, but the Cardinals closed with five straight points for the first of three consecutive 25-18 wins.
 
Cervasio's kill gave the Cougars a 4-1 lead in the second set, but Fisher rallied and built a 21-10 lead.  DePalma and Cervasio had kills as part of a 7-1 run to get MU within 23-18, but the Cardinals scored to straight to win.
 
Fisher used a late 5-0 run to break open a close game in the clincher.
 
Clendening had two kills to key an 8-1 run as the Cougars took a 14-9 lead in the first set against Cairn.
 
The Highlanders rallied to tie the score, 19-19, but DePalma's kill and three Cairn errors led a 4-0 run to close a 25-22 win.
 
DePalma had two more kills to fuel an 8-1 spurt to open the second set and the Cougars never looked back in a 25-9 win.
 
After dropping the third set, MU scored six straight points to build a 17-7 lead en route to a clinching 25-15 win.