Evans, Seifert Key Men's Volleyball Sweep Of SUNYIT

2/19/2011 12:00:00 AM

UTICA, N.Y. (February 19, 2011) – Freshmen David Evans and Ryan Seifert combined for 11 kills, four digs, and two blocks, as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team notched its third-consecutive sweep, dispatching of United Volleyball Conference rival SUNY Institute of Technology 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-15) at the Campus Center Gym in Utica, N.Y. With the win, the Ducks improved to 11-3 overall on the season with a 4-1 league ledger, while the Wildcats fell to 7-8 on the year with a 1-4 mark against conference opponents.

Stevens opened the first set on a 10-3 run, building a seven-point cushion on a Tyler Mackanin kill. Still up seven at 14-7, the Ducks tallied three of the set's next four points, going up nine on a Seifert spike that forced a SUNYIT timeout. Coming out of the break, the Wildcats would battle to within seven at 20-13, but the Ducks did just enough down the stretch, outscoring their SUNYIT counterparts, 5-3 to take a 25-16 victory and a 1-0 match edge.

Hoping to keep pace, the Wildcats took an early 6-5 lead in the second, but a 12-1 Stevens run, kick-started by a Timothy Karl kill and a pair of Tom Hannum spikes and buoyed by seven SUNYIT errors, staked the Ducks to a 17-7 advantage.

The Wildcats would battle back, pulling to within six at 20-14 following a Ducks' service error, but Stevens once again closed out strong, using a Brandt Grobeis kill to start a 5-3 rally that ended in a set-clinching Karl spike and a 2-0 Ducks' lead.

Looking to stave off elimination, SUNYIT come out strong to start the third, taking an early 5-1 lead, but the Ducks again responded, this time tallying a 14-5 run capped off by an Aaron Ostrovsky service ace that forced a Wildcats' stoppage.

Still ahead by five at 17-12, the Ducks continued to apply pressure, stretching the lead to eight on a Bryant DeFranco kill that bookended a 5-2 Stevens' spurt. From there, the Ducks would tally three of the frame's final four points, completing the sweep on a Gary Aramini kill and a SUNYIT error.

Karl and Ducks' sophomore James Mataras combined for seven kills and nine blocks, while MacKanin, Aramini, DeFranco, sophomore Jake Modestow and freshman Paul Dubuke each added three kills. Grobeis dished out 23 assists and amassed five blocks in Stevens' 11th win of the season, while Ostrovsky dug out seven balls.

Junior outside hitter Ryan Meller (Eden, N.Y.) paced the Wildcats with 10 kills and three digs, while freshman Dylan Krowicki (Little Falls, N.Y.) finished with six kills and two digs. Senior setter Jonathan Brochu (Latham, N.Y.) led SUNYIT with a team-high 14 helpers, while freshman Tyler Kuss (Chili, N.Y.) collected a team-high five digs.

Stevens, which returns to action on Tuesday, February 22 against UVC rival SUNY New Paltz, hit .431 as a team for the match, including a match-best .600 in the first set. The Ducks, who held a decisive 25-2 block advantage at the net, held the Wildcats to just a .032 attack percentage, which included a -.121 clip in the second frame.
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