FAIRFIELD, Conn. (January 17, 2015) – The No. 2 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team fell in five sets, 3-2, to NCAA Division I foe Sacred Heart University Saturday afternoon.
 
The Ducks fall to 0-2 on the season, while the Pioneers move to 1-0. Both Stevens losses have come at the hands of DI opponents, dropping a January 4 match at the University of Hawaii.
 
Stevens gave SHU all it could handle, sending two sets to extra points before falling 15-12 in the fifth.
 
Seniors David Evans and Ryan Seifert led the Ducks with 12 and 18 kills, respectively. Evans added 11 digs and a block assist to his line, while Seifert had one service ace and 10 digs to go along with three block assists.
 
Senior Daniel Smith had nine kills and hit .533 in the match, adding a block solo, two block assists and an ace. Senior setter Kevin Aeckerle tallied 52 assists and eight digs, while senior libero Dylan Schlosser notched eight digs and an assist. Sophomore Jordan Stuart had six kills for Stevens, and junior Tim Ferriter tallied eight kills, an ace and 11 digs.
 
The Ducks hit .276 as a team, notching four aces and 10 block assists (two block solos).
 
Set 1 – Sacred Heart 25, Stevens 20
The Ducks jumped out to a 12-8 edge in the first, but SHU answered with a 7-1 run to open a 15-13 lead. Stevens was able to get back within one following a kill from junior outside Chris Vaughan, but the Pioneers did enough down the stretch to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
Set 2 – Stevens 26, Sacred 24
Again, the Ducks jumped out to an early lead – this one being a score of 5-2.  The hosts answered to take a 7-6 advantage and the two sides went back and forth for the next several points.  Tied at 20, the Pioneers scored three of the next four points to open a 23-21 margin, and had set point at 24-22, but the Ducks responded to take the set 26-24. A Seifert kill and SHU error tied things at 24, junior Etan Bennett notched a kill to put the Ducks on top for good, and a bad set sealed things for the guests.
 
Set 3 – Sacred Heart 29, Stevens 27
For a third-straight set, the Ducks moved out in front early, holding a three-point edge at 9-6. The see-saw match continued with the Pioneers taking the momentum, and after a run opened a 14-11 lead of their own. Stevens fought back to tie things at 16, and an Evans kills gave the Ducks a lead at 17-16. Stevens' margin grew to two at 19-17 after a pair of SHU mistakes, but the Ducks could not put the set away, eventually falling 29-27.
 
Set 4 – Stevens 25, Sacred Heart 23
The Ducks were excellent in forcing a fifth set, grinding out a win in a fourth that saw neither team take more than a two-point lead. The score was deadlocked at 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 before a Sacred Heart service error gave Stevens set point and a kill from Evans locked up a chance to win it in five.
 
Set 5 – Sacred Heart 15, Stevens 12
Stevens would hold leads at 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 4-3 and 5-4 but two-straight tallies from the Pioneers gave them their first lead of the set at 6-5. Stevens came right back with kills from Evans and Smith to regain the lead, but three-straight tallies gave Sacred Heart a 9-7 lead. The Ducks came back to tie things at nine, but could not overcome an 11-9 deficit and fell 15-12.
 
Stevens will visit York College (N.Y.) on January 21 at 3 p.m. in Jamaica, N.Y.