Freshman Jason Gardner totaled 14 kills while classmate Landon Shorts added 10 as No. 13 Stevenson upended No. 3 Rutgers-Newark 3-0 in Continental Volleyball Conference men's volleyball Saturday night at Owings Mills Gymnasium, handing the Scarlet Raiders their first loss of the season.
Saturday's win marks the highest-ranked opponent Stevenson (5-2, 2-0 CVC) has defeated since toppling No. 1 Juniata on April 4, 2014. Stevenson has also won four straight.
Garner hit .417 on 24 attempts and also had a team-high six digs, while Shorts hit .421 with just two errors on 19 attempts. Senior Kyle Pottieger and junior Nate Ellis each finished with six kills. Ellis totaled four blocks (two solo) while Pottieger had three block assists. Senior Rob Wingert handed out 36 assists and also had three block assists.
Travis Mintzer led Rutgers-Newark (8-1, 0-1 CVC) with nine kills and seven digs
Stevenson hit .353 in the first set as it opened with a 25-17 victory. The Mustangs took control midway through the set, using a 7-1 spurt to build an 18-11 lead following a Scarlet Raider attack error. Rutgers-Newark would get as close as five, the last time at 22-17, but Stevenson closed out with three straight points. Gardner had five kills in the set.
In the second set, Stevenson built a 14-10 lead following a kill by Shorts, but three straight Scarlet Raider points capped by a service ace forced the hosts to call timeout. The Mustangs scored five out of the next six points out of the timeout to build a 19-14 lead. Rutgers-Newark cut the lead to 19-17, but got no closer, and a kill by Patrick Schuyler gave Stevenson a 2-0 lead.
The third set saw 12 ties and five lead changes, with neither side leading by more than two until an Ellis kill gave the Mustangs a 19-16 lead. From there, the Mustangs led the rest of the way, with Rutgers-Newark cutting the lead to one twice. A Gardner kill closed out the match.
Stevenson hit .345 as a team for the match while limiting Rutgers-Newark to .160 hitting. The Mustangs also committed a season-low five service errors on the evening.
Stevenson is back in action Wednesday when it travels to Marymount (Va.) University for a 7:00 Continental Volleyball Conference matchup.
STORY COURTESY OF STEVENSON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE