Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (April 13, 2013) – The nationally ranked No. 6 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team advanced to the United Volleyball Conference Championship with two, five-set victories over Elmira College and SUNY New Paltz on Saturday at Nazareth College's Kindler Gymnasium. Stevens (25-8) will face off with the nation's top team and host Nazareth at 1 p.m. tomorrow for an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship.

Quarterfinals: Stevens 3, Elmira 2

In the five-set, quarterfinal victory over Elmira, 25-16, 25-17, 23-25, 21-25, 15-3, senior Thomas Hannum (Libertyville, Ill.) and junior David Evans (Penfield, N.Y.) each tallied 12 kills to lead Stevens offensively. Hannum also paced the Ducks with seven total blocks, while Evans was tops on the team with eight digs and three service aces.

Sophomore Kevin Aeckerle (Henrietta, N.Y.) handed out a match-high 46 assists to go along with three digs and a kill. Senior Jake Modestow (Hampden, Mass.) also recorded seven total blocks to surpass the career block assists record and put down six kills in 10 attempts.

Sophomore Etan Bennett (Rochester, N.Y.) posted a team- and match-best .583 hitting percentage with seven kills in 12 swings with no errors. Also with seven kills, junior Ryan Seifert (Chicopee, Mass.) chipped in seven digs and three aces.

Freshman Chris Vaughan (Medford, N.J.) contributed eight digs from the back line.

As a team, Stevens registered 22 block assists and three solos for a total of 14 in the match.

In the first set, Stevens took an 18-16 lead and ran off seven consecutive points to claim the set. In the second set, the Ducks jumped out to a 3-0 lead and rolled to a 2-0 match advantage. The Ducks tried to notch the sweep in set three with a late comeback attempt down, 24-20, but after three straight points, Elmira took the set. The fourth set was a back-and-fourth battle throughout, and with a 22-21 set score in favor of the Soaring Eagles, Elmira ran off the last three points. In the deciding set, Stevens proved to be the stronger team, hitting .556 to -.286 for Elmira.

Semifinals: Stevens 3, New Paltz 2

The Ducks overcame a 2-1 match deficit to New Paltz in the semifinals to win the final two sets and match, 32-30 and 15-13. Stevens and New Paltz traded 25-21 scores in the first three sets of the match for the second five-set showdown between the two squads this season.

Sophomore Ian Tyger (York, Pa.) shined in the match with a career- and match-high 25 kills on 41 attempts for a .439 hitting percentage. Tyger totaled 27.5 points with two total blocks and one ace.

Aeckerle also posted a career night with 61 assists with 10 digs for the double-double. Evans followed up his first match with 17 against the Hawks and hit at a .382 clip with five digs.

Modestow added nine kills in 12 tries with three blocks, while Hannum tallied eight more kills and five digs.

Seifert played just one set against the Hawks but made his presence felt with three kills in as many swings and a solo block in the fifth set. Vaughan added 12 digs for the Ducks to lead the team.

In a purely offensive showdown, Stevens hit .411 in the match, while New Paltz swung at a .358 rate. The two teams combined for 145 kills and 140 assists. New Paltz gave away 12 points in the match with nine more attack errors and three more from the service line.

In the marathon fourth set, there were 20 ties and seven lead changes. The Hawks had match point at 24-21, but Stevens answered with four straight points to take a 25-24 lead. New Paltz responded and were a point away from the victory at 27-26 and 28-27, but the Ducks would not go away and scored three of the final four points to force the fifth and final set after a 29-29 tie.

All-in-all, there were 59 ties and 21 lead changes in the match.

Tomorrow's championship match will take place at 1 p.m. for the conference crown. Nazareth (33-1) took down the Ducks in three sets on March 9, 25-23, 25-22, 25-19, in the second crossover of the season. To watch the finals match between the top two teams in the UVC, visit Nazareth's tournament page for live stats and video.