Greg Higgins had a team-high 21 kills to go along with seven digs against Eastern Mennonite.

BEVERLY, Mass. (April 1, 2006) – Eighth-seeded Eastern Mennonite University ended top-seed Stevens Institute of Technology’s bid for its second straight North East Collegiate Volleyball Association Men’s Volleyball Championship with a 3-2 victory over the Ducks in the quarterfinals of the tournament on Saturday at Endicott College in Beverly, Mass.  The game scores were 27-30, 30-23, 27-30, 30-23, 19-17 in favor of the Royals.

Stevens, which had won 42 straight conference matches since a 3-1 loss to Rivier College on January 29, 2005, was led by senior outside hitter Greg Higgins (Kenmore, N.Y.), who finished with 21 kills, seven digs and two block assists.  Higgins hit .372 (21-5-43) in the match.  Junior middle/outside hitter Scott Stoner (Wantagh, N.Y.) collected 18 kills, 12 digs and two block assists.  Senior setter/outside hitter Chris Bock (Empangeri, Republic of South Africa) finished with 17 kills, 13 digs and three block assists.

The seventh-ranked Ducks also received 12 kills and six block assists from freshman middle hitter Andrew Cranford (Bel Air, Md.).  Cranford attacked at a .579 (12-1-19) clip.  Junior setter/outside hitter Michael Schulte (San Bernardino, Calif.) added 69 assists and eight blocks.

Eastern Mennonite, which entered the game ranked No. 12 in the nation on the latest CSTV/AVCA Division III Men’s Coaches Poll, improved to 18-7 on the year with the victory.  Sophomore outside hitter Brandon Ratliff (Phoenix, Ariz.) posted 32 kills and 11 digs.  Senior outside hitter/opposite Josh Kerr (Harleysville, Pa.) contributed 14 kills.  Sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker Ethan Fry (Guatemala City, Guatemala) finished with 12 kills and 11 digs.  Sophomore setter Benjamin Yoder (Lederach, Pa.) had 67 assists, 10 digs and five block assists.

Stevens will be back in action on Wednesday when it takes on New Jersey Institute of Technology.  First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Newark, N.J.