On Sunday, April 13, the #1 New York University men's volleyball team played #15 Nazareth University in the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Championship match at the John A, Paulson Center in Manhattan.
NYU won the match, securing a spot in the Division III NCAA men's volleyball tournament. They enter the postseason undefeated at 35-0 and ranked #1 in the country.
The Violets won in straight sets: 25-21, 26-24, 25-16.
The first set saw NYU establish an early lead, up by five before reaching 10 points. The Golden Flyers were able to chip away at the deficit, but couldn't catch the Violets. Of the last six points, five were Violets' kills, demonstrating NYU's control of the set. Devyn Nguyen was active at the net, attacking the ball on the second contact which kept Nazareth on their toes.
The Golden Flyers came back with new energy in the second set staying within a point of the Violets throughout. Tied at 24, Lucas Osiecki got a kill and then Luke Boyer closed the second with a kill assisted by Osiecki.
The final set displayed the dominance of NYU's 2025 squad. The teams remained neck and neck until at 10-all when the Violets went on a six-point run. Cohesion from NYU combined with the Golden Flyers' errors made it hard for Nazareth to come back from the deficit. The championship was secured with a solo block from Ry Kagan in the middle.
Emerson Evans led the team on offense, posting an impressive 13 kills. Osiecki followed with 11, he also had three aces in the match.
Nguyen led the team recording 33 assists in the match.
On defense, Buddy Cohen was a force with four blocks, Kagan followed with three. Zach Knudsen held down serve receive and defense with his seven digs.
"It was a hard-fought match, we had to scrap and fight. This was a testament to the hard work that the guys put in and everything they have accomplished over these last four years. When we move on to the next stage, hopefully, they will continue this," said Head Coach Jose Piña.
The team returns to the court on Friday, April 18, where they will compete in the first round of the NCAA tournament back at the Paulson Center.
