MAHWAH, N.J. (April 5, 2008) – Junior outside hitter Tomas Bochicchio had a season-high 32 kills to go with 10 digs and five blocks as the sixth-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team fell in a back-and-forth five-game battle against No. 9 Ramapo College Saturday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association Championships held in Mahwah, N.J. The Ducks responded after the Roadrunners won games one and three, however could not pull out a victory as the scores read 27-30, 30-28, 23-30, 30-27, 13-15.

With the match knotted at two games apiece, Ramapo held an 8-5 advantage after the switch. Trailing 9-11 the Ducks responded as Bochicchio landed a kill to bring Stevens within one. An attack error by senior right-side hitter Brendan Whitford (Lyndhurst, N.J.) gave the Ducks possession of the serve and tied the game at 11-all. From then on it was back and forth. A kill from junior outside hitter Shane Donohue (Freehold Township, N.J.) put the Roadrunners up one. Bochicchio came right back with a kill off the set of freshman setter Brandt Grobeis. Then Whitford made up for his miscue earlier with a kill to allow Ramapo to regain the lead (13-12). Bochicchio tied the game for the third time landing a kill off a middle attack. However two consecutive kills from Donohue gave the Roadrunners the match and a slot in the semifinals against No. 3 Vassar College.

From the opening game it was clear that the match was going to turn into a heated campaign. Stevens trailed throughout, however was able to claw back six different times to tie the game up. In the final deadlock of 23-23, Ramapo went on a 7-4 run behind an offensive attack from Donohue and Whitford, who registered three and two kills, respectively. Donohue posted six kills, while junior middle blocker Tom Kohler (East Brunswick, N.J.) landed four in the first game.

Both squads came out firing in the second contest as the score was tied 18 times throughout the game. The deciding factor came when the score read 27-all. A Roadrunner service error game Stevens a point plus possession of the serve. The Ducks capitalized as junior outside hitter Joe Trinsey landed a kill. The game went to Stevens when Donohue served the ball into the net as the match was now 1-1 overall. Bochicchio led with eight kills, while Trinsey totaled four in the win.

The Ducks had a tough time getting things going in the third as they hit .270 compared to Ramapo who produced a .452 hitting percentage. The Roadrunners pulled away after the game was locked at 10-all and led at one instance by six points. Both Whitford and Donohue recorded six kills apiece.

Needing a win, Stevens was focused in sending the match to a fifth and deciding game. The Ducks took over and went on a run to grab a five-point advantage that they were able to maintain right through the end of game. Bochicchio led with nine kills, three digs and three blocks as Landis notched three kills and a pair of service aces. The Ducks also out blocked the Roadrunners 6-2.

Ramapo (29-5) was led by Donohue, who produced a .455 hitting percentage with 24 kills on 44 attempts and only four errors. Whitford had 20 kills and three blocks, while Kohler accumulated 14 kills and six total blocks. He also registered a .444 hitting percentage (14 kills, 2 errors, 27 attempts). Junior setter Jairo Sierra (Fair Lawn, N.J.) amassed 71 assists and five digs. The Roadrunners were led defensively by junior libero Dan Sempkowski (East Brunswick, N.J.), who posted 15 digs.

For Stevens (20-11), Trinsey hit .394 with 16 kills on 33 attempts with just three errors. Junior middle blockers Doug Reger and Andrew Cranford had four and eight total blocks, respectively. Freshmen setters Aaron Ostrovsky and Grobeis combined for 64 assists. Ostrovsky led with 40 as Grobeis dished out 24 in the loss. Defensively for Stevens, junior libero Michael Ozols finished the day with seven digs.

The Ducks will wait a possible Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship bid as action is scheduled for Saturday, April 12. Location and match start time will be posted once teams have been selected.