HOBOKEN, N.J. – Sophomore outside hitter Chris Bock (Orlando, Fla./University) had 19 kills and seven digs as Stevens Institute of Technology earned a 3-1 (30-26, 22-30, 30-25, 32-30) win over SUNY-New Paltz on Tuesday night in a North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) Metro Division match at the Canavan Arena.
Stevens, ranked sixth in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III coaches poll, earned its 12th straight win to improve to 26-2 overall and 10-0 in NECVA Metro play. SUNY-New Paltz falls to 10-6 overall and 4-3 in divisional play.
New Paltz received a match-high 22 kills from junior outside hitter Chris Ganje. Junior Mike LaRocco contributed 19 kills and 10 digs while senior Rob Dietrich added 10 kills and four block assists.
Stevens trailed 14-13 in the opening game, but Ducks scored six straight points courtesy of five Hawk errors to open up a 19-14 lead. New Paltz, which hit .136 (18 kills, 12 errors, 44 attempts) in the opening game, got no closer than three points the rest of the way. Stevens hit a crisp .308 (12-4-26) in the first game.
Stevens carried its momentum into the second game as it built a quick 5-2 lead, but New Paltz scored six of the next eight points to open up an 8-7 lead. A kill by Bock knotted the game at 9-9, but the Hawks scored five of the next six points with Dietrich and LaRocco collecting a kill apiece. Back-to-back kills by Dietrich gave the Hawks a commanding 25-16 lead. The Ducks hit just .111 (12-9-27) in the second game.
Bock asserted himself in the third game as he had eight kills and a service ace to give Stevens a 2-1 lead. The match was tied at 15-15 when the Ducks edged in front by two points on consecutive kills by sophomore David Byrne (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) and junior outside hitter Brian Woodworth (San Jose, Calif./Bellarmine Prep). New Paltz twice pulled to within one point on kills by Ganje, but Stevens opened up a 21-17 advantage on kills by Bock and freshman Scott Stoner (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh).
Neither team led by more than two points in a fourth game that featured 23 ties. Stevens took a 28-27 lead on a kill by Woodworth, but New Paltz received consecutive kills by LaRocco to reclaim the lead, 29-28. The Ducks fought off two game points on kills by sophomore middle hitter Greg Higgins (Kenmore, N.Y./Kenmore West) and Bock who knotted the match at 30-30. Higgins served the final two points – the first coming on a Hawk attack error and the second on a ball handling error. Stevens survived despite hitting just .167 (17-11-36) in the fourth game.
Higgins added 14 kills and seven digs while Woodworth added 11 kills and 12 digs.
Stevens returns to action after its spring break when it hosts Yeshiva in a NECVA Metro match on Monday, March 22.
