CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (April 3, 2009) – Senior outside hitter Joe Trinsey produced a .467 hitting percentage with eight kills on 15 swings as the sixth-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team dropped No. 13 Eastern Mennonite University by the scores of 30-16, 30-23, 30-20 on Friday evening in Cambridge, Mass. Stevens totaled 10 team blocks and launched 13 service aces in the win. The Ducks will play the Endicott College scheduled for a 1 p.m. start on Saturday.
Senior outside hitter Tomas Bochicchio led the Ducks with 10 kills en route to a .381 hitting percentage with just a pair of errors on 21 attempts. He also led the squad with six digs and finished with three service aces and four blocks. Senior middle hitter Andrew Cranford tallied nine kills and drilled five aces in the win for Stevens.
Sophomore setter Brandt Grobeis dished out 30 assists, launched an ace and had three block assists. It was senior middle hitter Doug Reger that led the Ducks defensively with six total blocks. Reger hit .400 on the match off of five kills on 10 swings.
Freshman opposite hitter Cody Kennedy (Newport News, Va.) landed 10 kills and lifted for digs for EMU. Freshman middle blocker Kendall Garber (Lancaster, Pa.) registered six kills in the loss, while freshman setter Nolan Prock (Virginia Beach, Va.) connected on 30 assists for the Royals. Freshman outside hitter John Bottles (Williamsburg, Va.) posted five kills and lofted seven digs as sophomore middle blocker Frankie Coto (Miami, Fla.) led EMU with four total blocks.
In Set 1, the Ducks got off to a good start behind the aggressive serve of Cranford. He drilled four-straight aces to spark a 7-0 run by Stevens. Reger got in the mix as he landed a kill to put the Ducks up 12-4. The Ducks then increased their lead to 11 (21-10) as Bochicchio tallied a pair of kills, Reger added another as costly attacking errors by EMU put the Royals in a deep hole. Stevens then recorded a 9-6 spurt to close out the first game. Sophomore outside hitter SteFan PremDas posted an ace and a kill as Cranford tallied his fifth service ace of the match.
With the slight 1-0 advantage in the match, Stevens then capitalized on EMU's miscues as the Ducks held a seven-point advantage halfway through the set (17-10). Both Cranford and PremDas recorded a pair of kills during that span as Trinsey got on the offensive board as well; having landed a kill and an ace. Again, attacking errors by the Royals allowed Stevens to jump out on top. Following a timeout by EMU, the Royals were able to pull within five (24-19) as Bottles recorded his first ace of the contest. However, the offensive attack by the Ducks were to strong as Trinsey and Reger landed kills, with Bochicchio dialing up his first ace of the match.
In the final set, Stevens got things going early as PremDas and Cranford registered kills for the Ducks. The Royals finally got things going as they were able to hang with Stevens; however back-to-back kills from Bochicchio, followed by a service ace from Grobeis put the Ducks on top, 10-6. Following an EMU timeout, Trinsey got to work as he drilled a pair of kills. PremDas and Reger each added one as Stevens now held a 14-7 advantage halfway through the set. From then on the Ducks straight-out dominated EMU at the net. The Royals could not overcome the blocking force of Stevens. In the final 16 points for the Ducks, Cranford registered four kills, while Bochicchio had a pair of service aces and a kill. Cranford capped the match off with a statement as he drilled a kill straight down well in front of the attack line.
