Capped by a thrilling 30-28 third-set victory, the #10 (American Volleyball Coaches Association) New York University men's volleyball team swept Rutgers University-Newark on Tuesday night, March 10, at the Jerome S. Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.
The Violets (10-5) dominated the first set en route to their three-set victory (25-17, 25-22, 30-28) over the Scarlet Raiders (13-8), who are in their first season at the Division III level since transitioning down from Division I.
"We were able to minimize our service errors and that kept us competitive the whole time," said NYU Head Coach Jose Pina. "The fact that we were able to come back twice, in both the second and third sets, is a good sign. Plus our first win of the year at home is good."NYU jumped out to a 5-2 lead, including four straight points, in the first set and was never really threatened by Rutgers-Newark en route to a one-set advantage.
The second set was a different story as the two squads went back and forth until they were tied at 7-7. The Scarlet Raiders then jumped out to a 14-8 lead via a 7-1 run. The Violets then closed out the set on the comeback trail, outscoring Rutgers-Newark 16-8 to take the set 25-22.
The final set was a doozy as the two teams traded the lead back and forth 34 times. Overall, the Violets fought off set point for Rutgers-Newark five times and,
trailing 28-27, eventually won the final three points of the match, capped off by a monster kill from
Phil Bueno.
"It's not only about doing well in the conference, you also have to play well in the region," continued Pina.
HIGHLIGHTS:-
Nick Benson led all players with 13 kills. The junior outside hitter hit .269 on 26 attempts. He also notched nine digs and three service aces.
-
Colin LaPorte and
Chase Klein each finished with 12 kills. Klein hit .391 on 23 swings and finished with four total blocks (three solo), three digs and an assist. LaPorte had six digs, two total blocks and a service ace.
-
Patrick Merrick led all players with 38 assists. The sophomore setter also notched three digs, three total blocks and one kill.
"Merrick was good at the net," said Pina. "We've been trying to get our net play to be more consistent. We just have to position ourselves well and Patrick has been doing that."
-
Andrew Quirk led all players with 13 digs. The senior libero and team captain also finished with three assists.
-
Sean Leahy finished with four total blocks (two solo, two assisted), four kills and a dig.
The Violets will return to the court when they travel to New Paltz, NY, for a single United Volleyball Conference (UVC) match against #4 SUNY New Paltz. First serve on Thursday night, March 12, is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
Live stats and
live video will be available.
Â
