In its final match of the Santa Cruz Slug Slam, the #8-ranked New York University men's volleyball team lost in four sets to the host and #13-ranked University of California Santa Cruz on Sunday, January 18, in Santa Cruz, CA. 

The Violets won the opening frame before dropping the next three to lose 25-21, 23-25, 21-25, 20-25. 

Down 7-6 to begin the first set, NYU score five consecutive points and did not trail for the remainder of the frame. With the Violets later ahead 18-15, the Slugs evened the score with three straight points. The score was once again tied at 20-20, but NYU ended the set by winning five of the final six points. 

The Violets led 7-5 in the opening stages of the second frame, after which UC Santa Cruz used a 7-2 run to jump ahead, 12-9. The Slugs took their largest lead of the set at 15-11 and were answered with four consecutive NYU points to level the score. Though the Violets tied the score three more times in the set, NYU was unable to retake the lead, as UC Santa Cruz won the frame 25-23.

The Slugs jumped out to a 5-2 advantage in the third stanza and led the rest of the way, going up by as much as six. Tied at 10-10, UC Santa Cruz went on a 9-3 run to push the gap to 19-13. Despite the Violets fighting back to cut the deficit to 23-20, the Slugs closed out the set with a 25-21 win.

Going back-and-forth to start the final frame, NYU led 15-14 at the halfway point. However, UC Santa Cruz took control of the set with a 7-2 run. With the Violets unable to close the gap to less than three, the Slugs clinched the match with a 25-20 set win. 

Emerson Evans tallied 22 kills on the day, marking his third straight match with over 20 kills. At the net, the junior also collected three solo blocks. Devyn Nguyen posted 43 assists, while Bennet Tchaikovsky registered 16 digs. 

NYU will stay on the road for its next tilt as it takes on Arcadia University on Friday, January 23, at 7:00pm in Glenside, PA.