Behind PremDas Sixth-Ranked Men's Volleyball Upsets No. 2 Juniata

2/9/2011 12:00:00 AM

HUNTINGDON, Pa. (February 9, 2011) – Senior opposite hitter SteFan PremDas hit an impressive .417 on 36 swings, with a match-high 20 kills, as the sixth-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team upset American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III No. 2 Juniata College, 3-2 (16-25, 21-25, 25-16, 25-19, 15-12), at the Kennedy Sports & Recreation Center in Huntingdon, Pa. The win – the Ducks' eighth of the season – represents Stevens' first-ever victory over the six-time Molton Division III national champions.

Trailing 2-0, the Ducks started to put things together in the third, hitting .360, while holding Juniata to a .032 attack percentage in a 25-16 set victory. The Stevens defense continued to hold steady in a 25-19 triumph in the fourth, this time keeping the Eagles at bay by allowing just a .043 swing rate. Hoping to complete the comeback, the Ducks offense came to life in the fifth and final frame, tallying a .500 hitting percentage in a 15-12 tiebreak win.

Freshman David Evans added 12 kills and six digs, while senior middle hitter Timothy Karl added nine kills and three digs, hitting .438 in the victory. Senior outside hitter Jonathan Landis finished with seven kills and six digs, while sophomore Jake Modestow tallied a .308 hitting percentage with six kills and four blocks. Ducks' senior co-captain Brandt Grobeis chipped in with 50 assists and six digs while directing the Stevens' offense.

Senior outside hitter Chris Vrooman (Baden, Pa.) led the Eagles with 16 kills and five digs, notching a .343 attack rate, while freshman Alex McColgin (Hamburg, N.Y.) finished with 13 kills, five digs, and four blocks. Fellow freshman Ross Madden (Richmond, Va.) and junior Ben Wolff (Meadville, Pa.) had nine and eight kills, respectively, with Wolff hitting .353 to go along with five blocks, while junior setter John Almquist (York, Pa.) dished out 38 helpers.

Stevens returns to action on Saturday, February 12 against Division I Harvard University.

Set 1: No. 2 Juniata 25, No. 6 Stevens 16
The Eagles raced out to an early lead, taking a 3-1 edge on a Ducks' attack error before back-to-back kills from PremDas and freshman Ryan Seifert knotted the set. The Eagles responded by mounting a 12-7 run, taking a 15-10 advantage on another Stevens' error.

Still up five at 17-12 after a Wolff spike, Vrooman and Madden notched consecutive points to extend the Eagles' margin to seven. Ahead 22-15, Vrooman again found a hole in the Ducks' defense, tallying another kill, before a McColgin score coupled with a Stevens' service error gave Juniata the frame.

Set 2: No. 2 Juniata 25, No. 6 Stevens 21
Hoping to tie the match, Stevens came out strong to start the second, taking a 6-0 lead on two-straight PremDas and Modestow points, but an 11-7 Juniata rally buoyed Wolff, Vrooman, and McColgin kills, quickly trimmed the Ducks' margin to two.

Looking to rebuild their lead, Stevens notched the set's next two points to take a 15-11 edge on a Landis kill, forcing an Eagles timeout. Wolff would look to get the Eagles back on track coming out of the break, tallying a spike as Juniata crawled to within 17-15 before a Stevens' stoppage.

Still up by two at 19-17, the Ducks committed consecutive errors, allowing the Eagles to tie the set, before a Landis spike helped Stevens regain the lead. From there, Juniata closed out the frame on a 6-1 run before taking the set on a Vrooman kill.

Set 3: No. 6 Stevens 25, No. 2 Juniata 16
Trying to stave off elimination, Stevens again got off to a fast start in the third, this time taking a 5-2 edge on back-to-back Landis service aces. Up 6-3, The Ducks would tally seven of the set's next 11 points, building a six point cushion on a PremDas spike.

Ahead by five at 15-10, Stevens tallied three-straight points, going up 18-10 on an Eagles' error. Still up eight at 20-12, the Ducks did just enough down the stretch, getting spikes from PremDas and Modestow to pare the set count to 2-1.

Set 4: No. 6 Stevens 25, No. 2 Juniata 19
With the set knotted at six in the early going, the Ducks tallied the frame's next two points on a Karl kill and Juniata error. Still ahead by two at 10-8 after a PremDas kill, Stevens mounted a 5-3 run over the next several minutes of action, forcing a Juniata timeout after another PremDas spike.

Leading 17-13, the Ducks tallied consecutive scores to up the margin to six, but a Ducks' error coupled with a Vrooman spike quickly cut into the Eagles' deficit. Still up six at 24-18, the Ducks committed an attack error that trimmed the Stevens' lead to five, but PremDas hammered home a kill on the ensuing play to knot the match at two sets apiece.

Set 5: No. 6 Stevens 15, No. 2 Juniata 12
Looking to complete the comeback bid, Stevens took a 4-2 advantage on a pair of Evans kills. The Eagles answered by battling back to 6-6 before regaining the lead on a Ducks' attack error. Still down one at 9-8, Stevens responded, following up a Juniata service miscue with consecutive PremDas spikes to go up 12-9.

Clinging to a 14-11 lead after another PremDas kill, the Ducks surrendered Vrooman's 16th spike of the evening, before Grobeis found a crease in the Eagles' defense to tally the match-clinching score.
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