The New York University men's volleyball team, ranked #13 in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Top 15 Poll, suffered a hard-fought five-set loss on Wednesday night, March 2, to #5 Stevens Institute of Technology. The match was played at home at the Brooklyn Athletic Facility in Brooklyn, NY.
"We played way better tonight than we did against them in Hoboken. We seem to have taken well to our new home here in Brooklyn and I just think it bodes well for the rest of the season," said NYU Head Coach Jose Pina. "We just need to finish off those teams ranked above us so we can gain more confidence."The Violets (7-7) won the first and third sets and held the 2-1 lead heading into the fourth, but dropped the final two sets to the Ducks (15-4) to fall in five sets (21-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-18, 15-10).
"We had them where we wanted them, but we had some unforced errors -- especially when we were ahead 17-11 in the second set -- and allowed them to come back and win," continued Pina. "They're a good team and you cannot make unforced errors because they will take advantage. We weren't being aggressive enough with our decisions and our attacks."With starting libero
Benjamin Oxnard out due to illness, the Violets had to piece together a defensive gameplan.
Phil Bueno and
Derrick Chiu led that effort as each tied the match high with a11 digs apiece. Bueno also led all Violets with 17 kills on 37 swings (.297 hitting percentage) and tied the team high with three total blocks. Chiu dished out a match-best 45 assists, as well.
HIGHLIGHTS:-
Chase Klein was second on NYU with 10 kills on 27 swings. He also had eight digs.
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Chase Corbett registered nine kills on 15 swings with just two errors for another efficient performance (.467 hitting percentage). The sophomore middle hitter also had four digs and two blocks.
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Sean Leahy chipped in seven kills and a team-high-tying three blocks.
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Nick Benson notched nine kills, six digs and a match-best four service aces.
- Tim Ferriter led Stevens Tech with 18 kills and 10 digs.
The Violets will return to action when they travel to New Paltz, NY, for a United Volleyball Conference (UVC) crossover day on Sunday, March 6. NYU will face Penn State-Behrend at 1:30 pm, followed by #2 SUNY New Paltz at 4:00 pm.
