The New York University men's volleyball team was defeated by Hunter College on Thursday, March 30, at the Hunter Sportsplex in Manhattan.

The Violets (13-8), ranked #7 nationally by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, fell to the #12-ranked Hawks (23-5) in four sets (25-14, 25-20, 17-25, 25-23).

"We played hard and hustled a lot, but our offense did not click as it usually does," said Head Coach Jose Pina. "Alex Li had another match in which he averaged more than five kills per set, but not as efficient as he has been lately."

NYU quickly fell behind 5-0 when the match opened and dropped the first set 25-14. The Violets again fell into a hole in the second set, falling behind 11-4 as Hunter took the set 25-20. NYU bounced back in the third set, turning a narrow 15-14 lead into a decisive 25-17 victory to pull within one set. Hunter closed out the match in set four, winning a close decision 25-23.

"We didn't play a clean match tonight. We had lots of unforced errors in the first two games and at the start of game four," explained Pina. "Hunter is an atypical opponent. They play an unconventional game and that gave us problems."

TOP PERFORMERS

- Li led all players with 19 kills and added two service aces and seven digs.

- Evan Lindley recorded nine kills and added two service aces.

- Nick Benson and Lindley each posted a team-high four blocks.

- Derrick Chiu tallied a game-high 34 assists.

- Connor Keowen led all players with 11 digs.

The Violets will compete next when they host a tri-meet against Elmira College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Saturday, April 1, beginning at 11:00 AM at the Brooklyn Athletic Facility.