On Saturday, March 15, the #1 New York University men's volleyball team traveled to Hoboken, NJ, to play the #6 Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks. 

The Violets and the Ducks battled throughout, with NYU outlasting Stevens in five sets: 25-21, 18-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-9.

The first set was close throughout. At 19-19, the Violets went on a run getting to 23-20, forcing a Ducks timeout. Coming out of the break, Stevens got a kill but missed their serve afterwards putting the Violets at set-point. Lucas Osiecki closed the first with a kill assisted by Devyn Nguyen.

The Ducks took an early lead in the second set, creating a four-point gap at 6-2. The Violets fought back but never gained a lead as the Ducks pulled away. 

Stevens put pressure on the Violets' offense with four blocks early in the third set. NYU called a timeout at 7-3. The Ducks made a service error out of the timeout, after which the Violets went on a six-point run with Bennet Tchaikovsky behind the service line. The Ducks called a timeout in efforts to freeze Tchaikovsky off his serving run at 10-7. Off the timeout, the Ducks stopped NYU's run with a kill.

NYU made a great hustle play initiated by Emerson Evans' dig in front of the 10-foot line to force another Ducks' timeout at 17-12. Stevens came back and strung together three points to force an NYU timeout at 17-16.  Blocks by Ry Kagan and Evans put NYU at set point, and after two kills from the Ducks, the Violets took the set.

The fourth was also close, with the Ducks prevailing 25-23.

In the final set, the two teams left it all on the court. NYU was the first to eight and two consecutive kills from Kagan helped the Violets win the set 15-9, extending their undefeated season. 

Evans led NYU in kills recording 16. Osiecki and Boyer followed with 15 and 12 respectively. Kagan posted an impressive eight blocks while Cohen had six, both a force at the net. Nguyen had an impressive 53 assists. 

Defensively, Zach Knudsen was dominant with 16 digs, and Boyer and Nguyen each had eight. Tchaikovsky was essential under pressure from the service line going on multiple runs and recording the team's only ace of the night.

"Great win by the boys, it took a total team effort to defeat an excellent Stevens team. The young men were tested today and they responded admirably," said Head Coach Pina.

The Violets return to the court on Tuesday, March 18, to play Kean University in Union, NJ, at 7pm.