Men's Volleyball Downed By No. 11 NYU

2/24/2010 12:00:00 AM

HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 24, 2010) – Despite a match-high 17 kills from junior Jonathan Landis the Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team dropped its fourth-straight match, falling to No. 11 New York University, 3-1 (30-26, 22-30, 30-18, 31-29) at Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. The Ducks are now 8-8 on the season with a 1-2 mark against North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) Metro Division opponents, while the Violets, who avenged a 3-0 loss to Stevens in its season-opener, improved to 2-8 on the year with a 0-3 league ledger.

Landis added eight digs to his match-high 17 kills, while junior SteFan PremDas had eight kills and six digs. Junior co-captain Brandt Grobeis dished out a match-high 39 assists, while junior Aaron Ostrovsky had a match-best 14 digs in defense.

NYU junior middle blocker Fran Hodgson (Surf City, N.J.) and sophomore outside hitter Pat Dodd (Hinsdale, Ill.) each tallied a team-high 12 kills to lead the Violets offensively, with Hodgson also tallying a match-high four blocks. Freshman setter Trevor Salter (Chula Vista, Calif.) collected 39 assists while directing the NYU offense, with sophomore libero Jay Hayes (Naperville, Ill.), finishing with a team-high 10 digs.

Stevens will look to snap its losing skid on Saturday, February 27, when it plays host to No. 7 Rivier College.

Set 1: NYU 30, Stevens 26
With the set tied at nine after a Landis kill, NYU mounted a quick 5-1 spurt, capped off by back-to-back Mike Ferragonio (Irwin, Pa.) service aces. Still down four at 20-16 after a Ferragonio spike, the Ducks rattled off four unanswered points – on a PremDas kill and a trio of Violet errors – knotting the set at 20.

A pair of Stevens errors coupled with another Ferragonio tally put NYU up 23-20, before a PremDas kill brought the Ducks within two. Still up two after a John Dennan score made it 26-24, Violets' freshman outside hitter Cooper Gwaltney (Laguna Beach, Calif.) put away a spike to stake NYU to a 27-24 edge. From there the Violets narrowly outscored their Duck counterparts 3-2 down the stretch to take a 1-0 set lead.

Set 2: Stevens 30, NYU 22
Stevens raced out to a 3-0 lead in the second set on a pair of NYU errors and a Jake Modestow kill before the Violets mounted a 4-1 run of their own, capped off by a Ryan Limb (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) spike. With the set still tied at 11 after another Modestow kill, the Ducks momentarily went up one on an NYU attack error, but three-straight Violet points put NYU back on top, 14-12.

Stevens battled back however, reeling off a 6-2 run of their own to take an 18-16 advantage, forcing an NYU timeout. The Ducks continued to roll following the break, upping the margin to four on a Landis kill. Still trailing by four at 24-20, Dodd found a crease in the Stevens' defense, cutting the lead to three, but a Tom Hannum kill, followed by a PremDas ace gave the Ducks their largest lead of the set, forcing another Violets' timeout.

The break did not stem the Stevens tide however; as the Ducks closed out the second set on a 4-1 run evening the match at a set apiece.

Set 3: NYU 30, Stevens 18
NYU took an early 7-3 lead in the pivotal third set on another Ferragonio kill. PremDas trimmed the Ducks' deficit to three on the ensuing play with a kill of his own, but the Violets netted four of the set's next six points to taking an 11-6 lead on a Gwaltney spike.

Stevens slowly fought its way back to 13-10, but four straight NYU points, capped off by a Hodgson ace gave the Violets a 17-10 lead, forcing a Stevens timeout. With the lead down to five at 20-15, NYU embarked on a crucial 10-3 run, closing out the set on a Ferragonio kill, taking a 2-1 set lead.

Set 4: NYU 31, Stevens 29
Down one in the early going following a Landis kill, Hodgson responded with a tally of his own, knotting the set at eight. With the set still tied at 11, Stevens committed a pair of errors, staking NYU to a two-point edge, before a Modestow kill cut it to one.

Still down one after a Bryant DeFranco spike made it 14-13, Stevens surrendered three-consecutive points to stake the Violets to a four-point lead. The Ducks again fought their way back however; tying the game at 20 on an NYU error. The teams would trade points over the next few minutes of action – in what was quickly becoming a see-saw affair – before consecutive Duck errors gave the Violets a 29-27 advantage.

An NYU error followed by a Landis' 17th kill of the night tied the set at 29, but two more Stevens' mistakes sealed the closely contested and hard-fought set for NYU.
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