The Central State men's volleyball team earned its first victory of the 2026 season Wednesday night, surviving a five-set battle against Thomas More, 3-2 (25-20, 25-19, 24-26, 22-25, 15-13), inside Beacom/Lewis Gymnasium.

After taking the opening two sets, the Marauders were pushed to the limit as Thomas More claimed sets three and four, but Central State responded with its strongest offensive performance of the night in the decisive fifth set. The Marauders hit .500 in the final frame, recording 11 kills on 16 attacks to close out the match.

Central State finished the night with 56 kills on 119 attacks, hitting .252 as a team, while Thomas More posted 43 kills and a .147 hitting percentage. The Marauders also held advantages in kills (56-43), assists (52-38), blocks (18-12), and digs (34-30).

Individually, Jaedyn Harris led all Marauders with 14 kills to go along with five blocks and two aces. Deegan Symes followed with 12 kills, five blocks, and two aces, while Simon Falayi posted 11 kills on just 16 attempts, hitting an efficient .563. Toulmin Williams IV added 11 kills, three service aces, and five digs.

Setter Bradley Patrick directed the offense with a match-high 46 assists, while also contributing six digs. Defensively, Benjamin Latham anchored the back row with a match-high 14 digs. At the net, Prince Trimuel was dominant, recording seven blocks, while Symes and Harris each added five.

With the victory, Central State improves to 1-4 on the season, while Thomas More falls to 0-2. The Marauders will look to carry the momentum forward as they continue non-conference play at Lees McRae on Friday and Saturday.