The New York University men's volleyball team, currently
ranked #11 in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), swept local rival Hunter College 26-24, 25-9, 25-20 on Tuesday night, February 3, at the Hunter Sportsplex in Manhattan.
In a tight first set, neither team led by more than one point as Hunter (3-5) took a 17-16 lead. However, the Violets (3-1) scored the next five to take a 21-17 advantage.
The Hawks pecked their way back by scoring the next three points and eventually tying the score at 24-24. When
Chase Klein's kill was followed by a Hunter attack error, NYU clinched the crucial first game.
The second game was no contest as NYU scored the first five points, were never seriously threatened, and went on to the easy victory.
In the final game, the Violets again got off to a quick lead by scoring the first four points. Their advantage grew to as many as seven points before the Hawks closed to within two at 22-20. However, the Violets scored the final three points on kills by
Colin LaPorte and
Jake Getz, followed by another Hunter attack error.
"This was a good team win to get us back on track," said Head Coach
Jose Pina. The Violets had lost their previous match against Vassar College last Thursday. "We had a sloppy start, but recovered nicely to pull off the win."
HIGHLIGHTS:- Klein led the Violets with 10 kills and four digs despite only playing two games. He also registered a .615 attack percentage.
"Chase had an outstanding hitting match, and we played very good floor defense as a team," Pina added.
-
Nick Benson and
Andrew Zhu also had four digs.
- LaPorte finished with nine kills, while Getz had eight.
-
Patrick Merrick recorded a match-high 39 assists for the Violets.
- Tuesday night's affair was NYU's first this season that did not go the full five sets.
The Violets get right back into action on Thursday night at the Coles Sports Center when they host SUNY New Paltz. Tipoff for the
Violet Nation event is set for 7:00 pm.
