The New York University men's volleyball team, ranked #13 in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), opened its 2020 season with a straight-set victory over Fontbonne University at the Cal Lutheran University Invitational on Friday, January 17, in Thousand Oaks, CA.

The Violets (1-0) defeated the Griffins (0-2) by scores of 25-20, 25-20, 25-22.

In a tight first set, Fontbonne had an early two-point lead. But, NYU scored three straight points after trailing 9-8 and never relinquished the lead. 

After dropping the first point of the second set, the Violets scored the next two and never trailed again. They were ahead by only two, 21-19, before scoring four of the final points to secure the win.

NYU scored the first two points of the final set and stayed ahead the entire way. The lead grew to as many as seven points before the Violets settled for the three-point, match-clinching victory.

NYU's frontline posted a formidable .384 hitting percentage compared to Fontbonne's .240.

"This was a very good start to our season," said Head Coach Jose Pina. "We played well on offense, attacking at a 38.4 percent clip and blocking nine Fontbonne attacks,"

Alex Li (Cupertino, CA/Monta Vista) (12) and Neil Ferraro (Newton, MA/Xaverian Brothers) (11) each recorded double-digit kills for the Violets. Lee committed only one error (.647), while Ferraro had four (.368). Ferraro also led the way with six blocks, while Ryan Whealan had a team-best 23 assists and Matin Bikdeli (Irvine, CA/University) added 10.

Evan Lindley (Evanston, IL/Evanston Township) chipped in with seven kills and three digs.

"The trio of Li, Ferraro and Lindley were very effective," Pina explained. "And, Whealan and Bikdeli ran the offense very efficiently."

The Violets are right back on the court tomorrow when they face host Cal Lutheran at 6:30pm (central time).