The men's volleyball team makes its second appearance on the New York University Top-50 Varsity Sports Highlight List of 2019-20, and begins the final top-10 countdown with its 3-0 victory over top-ranked Springfield College on February 22 in Springfield, MA.

After defeating SUNY Potsdam 3-0 in the opener of the tri-meet, the Violets proceeded to defeat the #1-ranked Pride, also in straight sets. 

The victories boosted NYU's record to a perfect 11-0 to start the season.

The Violets trailed in all three sets against host Springfield. Behind 22-16 in the final one, a 7-1 NYU run highlighted by a pair of services aces from Alex Li (Cupertino, CA/Monta Vista) locked things up at 23-23. Then, with the score tied 25-25, Neil Ferraro (Newton, MA/Xaverian Brothers) recorded a kill which was followed by a Springfield attack error, giving NYU the victory.

"We cut the lead in the last set, and Alex's service aces really put the pressure on them," explained Head Coach Jose Pina. "We played well enough and got some digs at crucial times that really helped us gain momentum."   

Ferraro and Evan Lindley (Evanston, IL/Evanston Township) led the Violets with eight kills each. Matin Bikdeli (Irvine, CA/University) totaled team-highs of 23 assists and five digs (Lindley also had five digs).

The men's volleyball team originally appeared on the Top-50 List at #40 with its season-opening sweep of the California Lutheran University Invitational (January 17-19).  

A complete recap of the tri-meet can be found here. 

Previous Season Highlights
#50 - Softball Wins Season Opener
#49 - Men's Tennis Opens Season Successfully at TCNJ Lions Kickoff
#48 - Baseball is Back – Violets Win Season Opener
#47 - Men's Basketball Secures First UAA Win, 80-79. vs. CMU; Macarchuk's Three-Pointer Snaps 75-75 Tie with 1:40 left
#46 - Softball Wins Season Finale; Swan Tosses Three-Hit Shutout
#45 - Men's Tennis Wins on Senior Day
#44 - Baseball Ends Season with a One-Hit Victory
#43 - Women's Fencing Dominant at FDU Invitational
#42 - Women's Volleyball Begins Season on Six-Match Winning Streak
#41 - Women's Soccer Dominates in Home Opener
#40 - Men's Volleyball Wins Season-Opening Invitational
#39 - Men's Golf Wins Duke Nelson Invitational
#38 - Wrestling Team Competes at NWCA National Dual Championships
#37 - Women's Cross Country Captures Ramapo Season Opener; Moran Wins Collegiate Debut
#36 - Men's Golf Team Wins Season Opener
#35 - Men's Soccer Defeats Hood in ECAC Championship
#34 - Women's Tennis Completes Undefeated Dual Match Campaign; Finish Ranked #17
#33 - Women's Golf Finishes Second at Tartan Invitational; Lung Wins Individual Title 
#32 - Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving Teams Capture NYU Fall Invitational 
#31 - Men's Cross Country Wins Ron Stonitsch Invitational
#30 - Men's Fencing Wins All Six Matches at Eric Sollee Invitational
#29 - Men's Track & Field Individuals and DMR Earn Bronze at UAA Championships
#28 - Women's Basketball Defeats Brandeis in UAA Opener for Season-High Seventh Straight Win
#27 - Men's Soccer Defeats Wash. U for Sixth-Straight Win
#26 - Women's Cross Country Finishes Second at Paul Short Invitational
#25 - Women's Soccer Defeats #10 Case Western Reserve in Overtime
#24 - Women's Volleyball Wins Kean Invitational
#23 - Women's Track & Field Runners Take Gold at UAA Indoor Championships 
#22 - Women's Golf Team Wins Season-Opening St. Lawrence Invitational
#21 - Women's Fencing Finishes Second at NIWFA Championships
#20 - Haberli Earns 300th Win as NYU Wrestling Coach 
#19 - Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving Teams Win Ithaca Bomber Invitational 
#18 - Women's Basketball Season Sweep of  Washington University in St. Louis
#17 - Men's Soccer Defeats Carnegie Mellon University for the first time since 2007
#16 - Men's Basketball Wins NYU-Tip Off Tournament
#15 - Men's Golf Wins Skidmore Invitational to closeout 2019-20 season
#14 - Men's Cross Country Finishes Second at ECAC Championship
#13 - Women's Swimming Places second at UAA Championships
#12 - Women's Cross Country Qualifies Two Runners for NCAA Championship
#11 - Men's Golf Victorious at Liberty League Fall Preview