HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 1, 2008) – Junior outside hitter Joe Trinsey posted 16 kills on 22 attempts with only one error (.682 hitting percentage) but it wasn't good enough as No. 8 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team was defeated by Division I foe Harvard University Saturday afternoon in Hoboken, N.J. The Ducks played tough however 17 service errors played a huge factor in the three game sweep as the scores read 25-30, 28-30, 27-30.
In Game 1, it was Harvard all the way as the Ducks could not close on a five point deficit that the Crimson maintained throughout. Sophomore outside hitter Erik Kuld (Toronto, Canada) led with eight kills, while sophomore setter Gil Weintraub (Encino, Calif.) connected for 18 assists and landed a pair of service aces to give Harvard a one-game lead.
After trailing 10-13 in the second game, Trinsey drilled two kills as an attack error on the Crimson saw the game tied at 13-all. It was neck and neck as both teams swapped points till the score read 27-26 in favor of Harvard. A kill from junior outside hitter Tomas Bochicchio tied the game for the 14th time as Stevens now had control of the serve looking to knot the match at a game apiece. However, three kills by Kuld allowed Crimson to take a two-game advantage.
With their backs to the wall, the Ducks needed a win to keep their hopes alive of pulling out a victory. With the game knotted at 9-all, the Crimson went on an 11-8 run (20-17) fueled by an offensive attack from junior outside hitter Jeff Nathan (Northbrook, Ill.) and senior right-side hitter Jamie Crooks (San Diego, Calif.). Harvard held a five point lead in their final ten points scored to earn the win and improve to 6-5 on the season. With the loss the Ducks fall to 9-10 on the year.
Leaders for Stevens were Bochicchio, who totaled 10 kills, five digs and a pair of blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Andrew Fessler registered nine kills, while junior middle hitter Andrew Cranford notched seven kills and four total blocks.
Freshmen setters Brandt Grobeis and Aaron Ostrovsky combined for 45 assists as Grobeis posted 24 and Ostrovsky dished out 21. Defensively for Stevens, junior libero Michael Bertucci led with six digs, while junior middle blocker Doug Reger and Trinsey each totaled six blocks.
Harvard was led by Kuld, who accumulated 24 kills and seven digs. Junior middle blocker Brady Weissbourd (Chicago, Ill.) landed eight kills and totaled three blocks. Weintraub dished for 43 assists in the victory. Defensively, the Crimson was led by senior libero Brian Rapp (Melville, N.Y.), who registered 10 digs on the day.
The Ducks will return to action on Monday when they travel to New York, N.Y. as they take on conference rival Yeshiva College at 8 p.m.
