The New York University men's volleyball team, ranked #4 in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), lifted its record to 6-0 with a four-set victory over Hunter College on Thursday, February 6, at the Brooklyn Athletic Facility in Brooklyn, NY.

The final scores were 25-20, 22-25, 25-17, 25-22.  

NYU never trailed in the first set. The Violets led by seven on a pair of occasions before Ryan Whealen's (Fenton, MO/St. Louis University) kill ended the set.

The Hawks (4-2) went ahead for the first time early in the second set and increased their advantage to four points, 14-10. The Violets managed to force a 19-19 tie, but Hunter then scored the next three points and led the rest of the way. 

NYU quickly recovered in the third set, scoring the first five points with Evan Lindley (Evanston, IL/Evanston Township) recording two aces during that opening stretch. After the Hawks stopped the streak with a kill, NYU followed with the next four points. From there, the lead grew to as many as nine points before NYU settled for the eight-point win. 

The final set was close throughout. Both teams led, but never by more than two points. But, with Hunter ahead 17-15, NYU scored the next five points and never relinquished the lead. The Violets increased their advantage to five points, 24-19, before ending the match on a block by Gautham Dasari (Cupertino, CA/Monta Vista). 

"We knew that Hunter is a ball control team. They hustle and never give up, so we had to play tougher against them," said Head Coach Jose Pina. "Our execution wasn't at its best today. We did not convert as many digs into kills as we have done in most matches this year. That contributed to them staying close."

Neil Ferraro (Newton, MA/Xaverian Brothers) had 15 kills on only 16 attempts for a .938 hitting percentage.

"Neil was almost perfect," Pina added. "He had 15 kills on 16 swings. Only one miss-hit or he would have been perfect. He also had four blocks. Just a great all-around performance."

Lindley added 12 kills and Dasari had nine. Whealen finished with a match-high 44 assists and Connor Keowen (San Ramon, CA/California) led with 16 digs. 

"We also missed a lot of serves and didn't play as well as we have lately," Pina concluded. "But, we battled and did what we had to do to win."

The Violets are back on the court next Wednesday, February 12, when they host The Sage Colleges at 7:00pm in Brooklyn.