Division I Sacred Heart Outlasts Men's Volleyball, 3-2, Snapping Ducks' 11-match win-streak

3/31/2010 12:00:00 AM

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (March 31, 2010) – Division I Sacred Heart University, which bested the Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team 3-0 at Canavan Arena in a matchup earlier this season, dealt Stevens its first loss in 11-consecutive matches, outlasting the Ducks, 3-2 (31-29, 29-31, 28-30, 30-24, 15-13), in a closely-contested, hard-fought match at the Pitt Center in Fairfield, Conn. Stevens fell to 19-9 on the season, while the Pioneers improved to 16-9 with the win.

Junior SteFan PremDas notched a team-high 20 kills in the loss, while adding a season-best 17 digs. Junior outside hitter Jonathan Landis hammered home 18 kills and added 14 digs, while senior co-captain John Dennan finished with 16 kills, eight digs, and four blocks. Junior middle Timothy Karl had seven kills and match-high 10 blocks, while freshman Jake Modestow chipped in with six kills, six digs, and eight blocks.

Junior co-captain Brandt Grobeis dished out 60 assists – his second highest total this season – while directing the Stevens attack, also adding 11 digs and five blocks. Junior libero Aaron Ostrovsky matched a season-high with 18 digs in defense.

Five Pioneers registered double-digit kills in the win, led by junior outside hitter Craig Harvey (Beverly, Mass.), who tallied a match-high 21 kills. The Beverly, Mass. native also added 15 digs, while junior Roger Parent (Burlington, Conn.) had 12 kills and 16 digs. Freshman Nick Hunt (Uniondale, N.Y.) added 11 kills and four blocks; while senior Scott Grandpre (East Greenwich, Conn.) and sophomore middle blocker Mike Komlanc (St. Croix, Virgin Islands) had 10 kills apiece.

Junior setter Tim Sadowski (Salem, N.H.) finished with 56 assists and 10 digs, while freshman libero Adrian Fernandez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) tied for the match lead with 18 digs.

Stevens returns to action against No. 1 Juniata on Friday, April 2.

Set 1: Stevens 31, Sacred Heart 29
With the set knotted at six after a Dennan kill, the Pioneers mounted a 6-1 run, taking a five-point edge on a Harvey spike. Still trailing by five after a Parent kill made it 18-13, Stevens mounted a 6-3 run of its own, to cut it to 21-19. Down three at 24-21 following another Parent score, Stevens netted two-straight points on a Sacred Heart attack error and a Modestow service ace to trim the deficit to one.

The Ducks finally pulled even at 25 on a PremDas ace, but a Stevens' error on the ensuing play put the Pioneers back on top. A Karl kill once again knotted the match at 26, but Grandpre responded with a spike of his own to make it 27-26, Sacred Heart. Trailing 29-28, Stevens rallied, rattling off three unanswered points on a Landis kill, a Pioneer attack error, and a Dennan tally, to take the first set, 31-29.

Set 2: Sacred Heart 31, Stevens 29
Looking to take a commanding 2-0 lead, Stevens raced to a 10-7 margin to start the second set – taking a three-point advantage on a Modestow kill – but three-straight Duck errors quickly knotted the set at 10. Still tied at 15, the Pioneers recorded consecutive points on a Komlanc kill and another Stevens' attack error.

Still trailing by two at 19-17, Landis and Dennan put away back-to-back kills to pull the Ducks even. With the set tied at 26-26, Sacred Heart took two-straight points, but a Modestow ace coupled with a pair of PremDas kills helped Stevens regain the lead, while forcing a Pioneer timeout. Sacred Heart regrouped following the stoppage, notching three-consecutive points on two Harvey kills and a Ducks' error to tie the match at a set apiece.

Set 3: Sacred Heart 30, Stevens 28
Despite an early 3-1 hole, Stevens battled back, embarking on a 6-3 run to take a slim, 7-6 lead. Sacred Heart answered with a 10-5 rally, going up 16-12 on a Stevens' error. Still down four at 20-16, Stevens tallied two-straight points, cutting the margin to two.

After exchanging points over the next several minutes of action, another Komlanc kill extended the Ducks' deficit to 27-24, but a Dennan spike quickly brought Stevens back within two. From there, the Pioneers did just enough down the stretch, keeping pace with the Ducks, thanks in part to a pair of Hunt kills, to take a 2-1 set lead.

Set 4: Stevens 30, Sacred Heart 24
Both teams again found themselves deadlocked in the early going with the set tied at nine. Five-straight Sacred Heart errors would give Stevens a five-point cushion, but Sacred Heart fought back, mounting a 6-1 run to knot the set at 15. With the set tied at 19, the Ducks scored three-consecutive points on a Modestow kill and a pair of Sacred Heart attack errors.

The Pioneers pulled within two at 23-21 on a Stevens' service error, but another 3-0 spurt, capped off by a Dennan ace, made it 26-21. Sacred Heart battled back to within four at 27-23 following a Hunt hill, but consecutive errors put Stevens up six before a Modestow kill tied the match at 2-2.

Set 5: Sacred Heart 15, Stevens 13
With the set knotted at three in the early going, Stevens rattled off four consecutive points, capped off by a Landis kill, to take a 7-4 edge. Still down three at 9-6 after a Dennan kill, Sacred Heart mounted a decisive, 7-1 run, taking a 13-10 advantage on a Stevens attack error.

The Ducks closed the gap to 14-13 on a Karl kill coupled with a Pioneer error, but Grandpre gave Sacred Heart the set and match victory with his 10th kill of the evening.
Print Friendly Version