The fourth-seeded New York University men's volleyball team defeated fifth-seeded Elmira College in straight sets (25-23, 25-14, 25-17) in the opening round of the 2018 United Volleyball Conference Tournament at the Sportsplex in Manhattan on Friday,

NYU (16-8) moves on to play host and top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology in Saturday's semifinals at 2:30pm back at the Sportsplex, while the Soaring Eagles saw their season come to an end with a 20-12 record.

The opening set was the closest of the evening as NYU held off a late Emira rally to win the frame 25-23. The Violets were able to take the set even though Elmira attacked at a .565 clip, recording 15 kills against just two errors in 23 total attacks. 

NYU dominated the second set, forcing their opponents attacking percentage to fall below .000 (-.154), while the Violets stayed consistent, hitting .385. NYU led 10-9, but then went on a 10-3 run to go ahead 20-12 and take control of the set en route to a 25-14 win. 

The Violets had another great performance in the third set to earn the sweep, attacking at a .500 clip (13 kills, two errors, 22 total attacks), en route to a 25-17 victory. NYU scored the final three points of the set, including the last two on service aces from Evan Lindley to clinch the match.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:

- Alex Li led all players with 17 kills, while Neil Ferraro (eight) and Evan Lindley (seven) also were impressive offensively. Li's 17 kills came in 22 attempts and against just three errors (.636).

- Lindley finished the match with seven service aces. 

- Matin Bikdeli's 33 assists were a match-high.

NYU and Stevens will meet for the third time this season in Saturday's semifinal. The Violets defeated the Ducks in a five-set thriller in February, before Stevens knotted the season series with a four-set victory two weeks later.