Box Score
The New York University men's volleyball team lost a four-set thriller to George Mason University in the quarterfinal round of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Tournament on Saturday, April 23, in Fairfax, VA.
The second-seeded Patriots (17-10) earned the 3-1 victory over the Violets (19-9), who entered the match ranked #3 in Division III by the AVCA, 25-16, 26-24, 23-25, 25-16.
“I am proud of the team,” said NYU head coach Jose Pina. “Although we fell short of the win, the quality of play was still very good. We played a strong match and it was a great one to finish our season.”
The defeat brought the Violets' season to an end with an overall record of 19-9. During the year, the squad vaulted to the #1 ranking in Division III for the first time in a decade and earned several outstanding victories.
The match also concluded the collegiate careers of NYU's four seniors - Fran Hodgson, Ori Oren, Jorge Oscar Torruella, and Stanley Gasiewski.
In the first set of the EIVA quarterfinal, George Mason jumped out to an early lead. NYU showed some resistance, led by Hodgson, but it was not enough, and the Patriots took the set 25-16.
The second set was a battle back and forth for the early points. But George Mason's Eric Lucas hit .857 in the set to lead the Patriots to a tight 26-24 win.
The third set, however, belonged to the Violets. In a must-win situation, NYU was the dominant force from the beginning en route to a 25-23 victory.
Late in the fourth set, after going back and forth for most of the game, the Patriots went on a 6-2 run to close out the match 25-16.
George Mason advances to the semifinals to take on #3-seed Springfield College.
Libero
Jay Hayes led the Violets with 10 digs, including five in the third set. Hodgson had a team-best 15 kills while hitting .480 from the middle. Fauntleroy added 10 kills.
Lucas led the Patriots with 15 kills and a .600 hitting percentage. Mark Jones tallied 14 kills, six digs and six blocks, while setter Brandon Joyner had 41 assists, nine blocks and six digs.
The Violets will move from the EIVA to the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) beginning next season, in time for the inaugural NCAA Division III Championship.
