The men's volleyball team's rise to #1 in the nation ranks as #1 on the New York University Top-50 Highlight List of the 2019-20 season.
The Violets raced to an 11-0 start in 2020 and were ranked #1 in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), ultimately earning the #1 ranking on NYU's Top-50 List.
On Tuesday, February, 25, the 11-0 Violets were ranked #1 in the nation for the eighth time in program history, and the first since March 29, 2011.
"It's a great honor to be ranked number one," said Head Coach Pina. "But, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is where we finish at the end of the season."
In their first match after rising to the #1 spot, the Violets swept their local rivals, #3-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology, on Wednesday, February 26.
The Violets trailed late in the final set, but scored the last three points to remain undefeated and on top of the men's volleyball world.
The squad was led by senior
Evan Lindley's (Evanston, IL/Evanston Township) 13 kills and senior
Matin Bikdeli's (Irvine, CA/University) 42 assists, while senior
Alex Li (Cupertino, CA/Monta Vista) recorded the 1,000th kill of his career in the match.
"It was just an outstanding match by our guys at the net," Pina said. "They were efficient and made few mistakes. In a match against a good team like this, it comes down to who makes the least amount of mistakes."
The Violets, who went on to suffer their first loss of the season, a 3-2 thriller, to St. John Fisher College on February 29, completed the season with a 13-3 record. The rest of the campaign was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the Violets finished the campaign ranked #2 by AVCA.
"We thought we had a team that was good enough to compete for, and win, the national championship in 2020," Pina explained. "The season being canceled was a disappointment in that we believed we were good enough to win it all. But, the season was canceled because of something outside our control and this was done for the best reasons."
The men's volleyball team also appeared on the Top-50 List at #40 and #10 (see below).
The announcement of the men's volleyball team rising to #1 in the nation can be found
here.
The full recap of top-ranked NYU's win over Stevens Institute of Technology can be found
here.
The final season AVCA National Rankings 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 Earns 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 in Season Finale
#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 Wins Liberty League Fall Preview
#10 - Men's Volleyball Defeats #1-Ranked Springfield for 11th-Straight Victory
#9 - Men's Fencing Defeats Defending National Champion Columbia
#8 - Wrestling Wins UAA Championship
#7 - Women's Tennis Trio Competes at ITA Oracle Cup
#6 - Women's Volleyball Wins ECAC Championship
#5 - Women's Basketball is Victorious in NCAA Tournament
#4 - Women's Tennis Trio Wins ITA Northeast Regional Championships
#3 - Four Wrestlers Qualify for NCAA Championships
#2 - A total of 26 Swimmers and Divers Qualify for NCAA Championships
