The fifth-ranked and second-seeded Rutgers University-Newark men's volleyball team is in the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) title match for a second-straight year. The Scarlet Raiders sailed past Marymount University 3-0 in the conference semifinals to set up a rubber match with top-seeded Stevenson University for the CVC crown.
The Scarlet Raiders topped Marymount 26-24, 25-15 and 25-16, working for a tough first-set victory and cruising the rest of the way. Stevenson swept Juniata in the other semifinal setting up a conference title game between the fifth- and seventh-ranked teams in the nation. R-N and the Mustangs split the season series 1-1 with each school winning on its home floor, 3-0.
Rutgers-Newark improves to a remarkable 24-2, while Marymount drops to 19-11. The Saints were the last team to beat Rutgers-Newark, and since the loss, the Scarlet Raiders have won seven-straight matches.
R-N tallied 46 points, 37 kills, one ace, eight blocks, 34 assists and 34 digs. Junior middle Nick Kuti (11), senior opposite Travis Mintzer (nine) and senior middle Cody Chidsey (six) led the Scarlet Raiders in kills, and Pieper and Chidsey each had four blocks. Senior setter Kevin McCandless picked up 33 assists, with junior outside Jack Fredricks (nine), senior libero Quocmy Nguyen and McCandless (five) combining for 19 digs.
Rutgers-Newark hits .268 in the match, while the holding the Saints to a .101.
Rutgers-Newark 26, Marymount 24
The first set was neck-and-neck throughout, and after Marymount held off the Raiders for one set point at 24-23, a kill from Kuti and a hammer from Fredricks – both assisted by McCandless – lifted the Raiders to the 26-24 victory and a 1-0 lead.
Rutgers-Newark 25, Marymount 15
The Scarlet Raiders carried the momentum from the first set win into the second, running out to a 5-1 lead behind a Pieper kill, three Saint errors and a Pieper block.
Three-straight points would make it a 13-5 set, and a 4-0 rally on the serve of senior Christopher Kopacz made it 20-10, essentially sealing the 2-0 lead.
Rutgers-Newark 25, Marymount 16
The two teams were tied at eight before a mini-run helped the Scarlet Raiders to a 12-9 edge, and after Marymount cut the lead to two (12-10), R-N slammed the door with a 13-6 run to advance to the conference title match.
Kuti (three), Fredricks (two) and Mintzer (two) all had multiple kills to lock up the triumph and set up a second-straight showdown between Rutgers-Newark and Stevenson in the conference title game. R-N swept the Mustangs 3-0 last year in Newark for the CVC's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship.
Opening serve is set for 2 p.m. Saturday and links to live stats and video of the match will be posted at www.rutgersnewarkathletics.com.
STORY COURTESY OF RUTGERS-NEWARK SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE