On Wednesday, Jan. 20, the New York University men's volleyball team was dropped in straight sets by the Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks in its first home match of the season. The Violets (0-2), ranked fifth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Men's Coaches Poll fell to the fourth-ranked Stevens squad 3-0 (30-28, 30-22, 30-23) at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.

In their season-opening loss to St. Francis University, the Violets were plagued by 24 service errors. Against Stevens Tech, however, the squad limited that number to 17 for a serving percentage of .809. Yet the deciding factor on Wednesday was hitting.

"It makes it tough to win when your hitting percentage is below 25 percent," said NYU head coach Jose Pina. "When you hit seven percent combined with your opponent hitting nearly 40 percent, as was the case tonight, the chances of winning are slim to none."

 After falling in the first set by a score of 30-28, NYU was looking to respond. Unfortunately, Stevens Tech added to its strong start, overpowering the host team using a combination of savvy play as well as Violet mistakes in the second set.

"The reason for the poor hitting was innefectiveness by our middle hitters," added Pina. "Stevens neutralized them, making us one-dimensional."

The NYU duo of senior captain Mike Ferragonio and freshman Taylor Fauntleroy paced the Violet attack with 14 and 13 kills, respectively. Ferragonio also contributed three service aces.

Freshman setter Trevor Salter, who recorded 34 assists in his collegiate debut against St. Francis, added an encore performance with 29 assists against the Ducks.

Jonathan Landis was the only player for Stevens Tech to notch double-digits, tallying 15 kills.

The Violets return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 27, when they host Rutgers-Newark University at the Coles Sports Center.