The sixth-ranked Stevenson men's volleyball team could not overcome the strong hitting of No. 2 Springfield as the sixth-seeded Mustangs fell in three sets to the second-seeded Pride in NCAA Semifinals Saturday evening at Kidera Gymnasium.
With the win, Springfield advances to its seventh straight National Championship match and will face top-seed and No. 1 SUNY New Paltz on Sunday. The Mustangs (26-8) end the season tied for the most wins in program history.
Stevenson struggled early with its serve as the Mustangs recorded service errors on its first three attempts. The team was unsettled to begin the match as the Pride (28-3) jumped out to a 6-2 lead, forcing Stevenson to call an early timeout.
Both teams had issues with its serve early on as the teams combined for 17 service errors in the opening set. Both teams finished with 12 service aces compared to a combined seven service aces.
Trailing 19-14, the Mustangs rallied to tie the opening set at 19-19 as the Pride committed five consecutive errors, including four hitting. Out of a Springfield timeout, the Pride quickly won back-to-back points but Stevenson knotted the game at 22-22 with a service ace by freshman Landon Shorts.
However, the eighth service error of the set for Stevenson followed by a Springfield block gave the Pride two set points. A kill by senior Patrick Schuyler erased the first set point opportunity but Ricardo Padilla Ayala put the ball up the line to give the Pride a one set lead.
The Mustangs totaled just seven kills in the opening set on 21 swings.
Back-to-back blocks helped Springfield build a 4-0 lead to begin the second set as the Pride jumped out to an 8-2 lead. The Mustangs began to close in on the Pride, but Springfield won three straight points to force Stevenson to use its second timeout, trailing 15-7.
Shorts put down his second kill of the match out of the timeout but Springfield responded with another three consecutive points to build a ten-point lead. The Pride went on a 4-1 run to earn set point and take a two sets to none lead.
Springfield totaled 15 kills in the second set for a .458 hitting percentage while the Mustangs totaled eight kills and six errors for a .083 hitting percentage. The Pride also recorded four blocks in the set.
Senior Rob Wingert started the third set with a service ace giving Stevenson its first lead in any set. The two teams traded points with neither team leading by more than one until the Mustangs won three straight points, including a block assist by junior Nate Ellis and freshman Jason Gardner to give the team a 10-8 lead and force a Pride timeout.
Out of the timeout, Gardner put down two more kills and added a block assist with senior Kyle Pottieger to quickly force the second Pride timeout. But Springfield answered with a 3-0 run to get back within one and make Stevenson use a timeout.
Back-to-back attack errors by Ayala gave Stevenson a 15-12 lead but Springfield went on a 7-1 run to take a three-point lead and force the second Mustang timeout. The Pride continued the run to the end, ending the match on a 13-1 run.
Greg Woods and Luis Vega led the Pride with 14 and 13 kills, respectively, as Springfield hit .310 and finished with 43 kills.
The match marked the end of the careers for Pottieger, Schuyler and Wingert who compiled an 83-43 record, two ECAC titles, three ECAC championship game appearances, three conference title game appearances and the program's first-ever ranking. This season, the trio led the team to the first conference title, the first NCAA Tournament appearance and the highest ranking at No. 6.
STORY COURTESY OF STEVENSON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE