The #7-ranked New York University men's volleyball team defeated both Misericordia University and Kean University on Saturday, February 7, at the John A. Paulson Center in Manhattan. 

The Violets opened the day with a 23-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-19 win over Misericordia before coming back from two sets down to defeat Kean 19-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-23, 15-9. 

"The lesson today was that we're good enough as a group to win and make big comebacks with different guys on the floor," said Head Coach Jose Pina. "Knowing you have depth in your roster makes you a better team overall."

In the tri-match's opening contest, neither team was able to separate from the other, as the difference never reached more than three. With the score tied 22-22, the Cougars managed to put away the set with three consecutive points. 

NYU trailed the beginning of the second frame 5-2 but quickly responded with a 6-0 run and did not trail for the remainder of the set. After Misericordia cut the deficit to one, down 11-10, the Violets gained breathing room with three straight points. NYU's largest lead of the stanza came after winning the set at 25-17, which tied the match at 1-1.

The Violets quickly jumped out to an 8-3 advantage in the third set and led by as much as eight at one point. Later, holding a 14-12 edge, NYU won the next four rallies to force a timeout by the Cougars. With Misericordia unable to close the gap to less than six, the Violets took the frame 25-17.

After the Cougars went up 3-2 in the final set, NYU took the lead for good with a 5-0 run. Misericordia continued to fight back, however, getting back to within one point several times. With the Violets ahead 20-17, NYU closed out the match by winning five of the final seven rallies. 

In the Violets' second match of the day, Kean started off strong. After getting out to a 9-4 start, the Cougars were in control in the first set. NYU came within one point to level the score on two occasions, but Kean closed out the set with a six-point lead.

It was the same story in the second. The Cougars raced out to an 11-4 lead after conceding the first point and managed to give themselves a nine-point gap at 20-11. However, a 10-4 run to the Violets, highlighted by three Emerson Evans kills, put NYU within three at 21-24. Despite the fightback, Kean secured the second stanza after a timeout.

NYU led for most of the third set, but the Cougars were able to match the Violets' intensity, bringing the score level at 23-23. A Kean service error and a Artyom Derkach kill earned NYU their first set of the match. 

The Violets continued their comeback in the fourth, but were tied at 11-11 in the middle of the set. NYU distanced itself with a 5-1 run, forcing a Kean timeout, but the Cougars clawed back to 22-22 with a 10-6 run. Despite the added intensity, the Violets won the frame 25-23 to force a decisive fifth set. 

In the final frame, NYU raced to a 6-2 lead before Kean called a timeout. The Violets held onto their lead for the rest of the match, going on a 9-7 run with Derkach completing the comeback with a kill. 

"They came out on fire and we came out flat," Pina explained. "We had to make a bunch of substitutions to pull the match out, and we did great."

Charlie Clifford continued his impressive freshman campaign with a total of 53 kills on .321 hitting. Devyn Nguyen racked up 102 assists across both matches. 

NYU will stay at home for it next match on Thursday, February 12, against the Stevens Institute of Technology.