No. 7 NYU Snaps No. 3 Men's Volleyball's Four-Game Win-Streak Despite PremDas' 12 Kills

2/23/2011 12:00:00 AM

HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 23, 2011) – Senior SteFan PremDas hammered home a team-high 12 kills but the Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team dropped a tough 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-18, 25-9) match to visiting AVCA Division III No. 7 New York University at Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. The third-ranked Ducks, which had sweep its last four opponents entering tonight's contest, fell to 12-4 overall on the year, while the Violets improved to 9-4 on the season.

Trailing 7-3 early, PremDas hammered home a kill to pull the Ducks' within three, but a Stevens service error once again gave the visiting Violets a four-point cushion. After a Ryan Seifert spike, senior outside hitter Jonathan Landis notched a solo block to cut the Ducks' deficit to 8-6, but NYU responded with a 4-2 run to go back up four.

Down 17-12, senior middle Timothy Karl and sophomore Jake Modestow tallied back-to-back blocks to slice the Violets lead to three. Still behind by three at 21-18, Karl and Seifert combined for a block on a would-be NYU kill to bring Stevens within two, but NYU would notch the four of the set's final six points to take a 25-20 triumph in the first frame.

Deadlocked at six early in the second, Violets' junior Pat Dodd (Hinsdale, Ill.) notched a kill to put NYU up one, but two-straight Stevens points gave the Ducks a slim 8-7 advantage. Hoping to pull back in front, the Violets quickly responded with an 8-4 run of its own to take a 15-12 lead.

Still down three at 17-14, the Ducks strung together consecutive points capped off by a Landis kill to bring Stevens within one, while forcing an NYU timeout. Coming out of the break senior co-captain Brandt Grobeis, snuck an ace just inside the backline, momentarily giving the Ducks the lead, but a Stevens error once again knotted the match.

Tied at 23, Stevens pulled ahead on a Violets error, before Grobeis came up with a big block, giving the Ducks a 25-23 second set win, while tying the match at 1-1.

Hoping to take an early lead in the pivotal third set, NYU tallied four of the frame's first five points. Continuing to go on the offensive, the Violets extended their lead to 13-7 prompting a Ducks' timeout.

Trying to cut into the lead down six, Modestow put away a kill before a Landis ace brought Stevens back within four. NYU responded with four unanswered points, building an eight-point cushion before Stevens freshman David Evans slowed the surging Violets with a cross-court spike.

Down 21-13 and needing a rally, the Ducks got just that, tallying three-consecutive points to trim the deficit to five, but NYU responded by taking four of the stanza's final points to earn a 25-18 win in the third.

Finding themselves down 3-0 early in the fourth, PremDas placed a kill inside the left sideline to put the Ducks on the board, but NYU answered with three-straight points to take a 6-1 lead. Still up six at 9-3, Violets' junior Luke Hamlet (Long Beach, N.J.) tallied a spike to extend the margin to seven.

Working to close the gap, the Ducks pulled within five at 11-6, but NYU again responded to the Ducks' rally, reeling off a decisive 10-1 run of its own to extend the margin to 14 as the Violets took a 25-9 victory in the fourth to seal the match.

PremDas added five digs and two blocks in the loss, while Evans finished with eight kills and five digs. Landis tallied seven kills and three digs, while Grobeis dished out 29 assists. Dodd paced NYU with 17 kills and seven digs, hitting .379, while senior Fran Hodgson (Surf City, N.J.) and sophomore Taylor Fauntleroy (Santa Barbara, Calif.) tallied 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Freshman setter Connor Mortland (San Diego, Calif.) collected 50 assists in the Violets' upset win.

The Ducks return to action on Monday, February 28 against Grand Canyon University.
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