JAMAICA, N.Y. (January 21, 2015) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team picked up its first win of the 2015 season Wednesday, defeating host York College (N.Y.), 3-0.
 
The Ducks – ranked second nationally in the first AVCA poll – improve to 1-2 overall with the win. Stevens won by set scores of 25-3, 25-16 and 25-10. The Ducks are now 1-0 against D3 teams, and 0-2 against NCAA Division I foes. The Cardinals, who were playing their first match of the season, drop to 0-1.
 
The Ducks opened the first set by taking a 14-0 lead and never looking back, winning by a score of 25-3. Senior Ryan Seifert had four kills to spark the Ducks early. After York finally found its way on the scoreboard, the Ducks tallied three-straight before ending the set on a 7-0 run led by sophomore Gabe Shankweiler and freshman Thomas Burrell who tallied two and three kills, respectively.
 
The Ducks started the next set with seven of the sets first eight points. York rallied to get within three, but kills from junior Chris Vaughan and junior Etan Bennett in a 3-0 spurt made the score 10-3.
 
With the Ducks holding a 17-8 margin, the Cardinals fought back within five points (17-12) thanks to a 4-0 run, but four of the next five points in the set went Stevens' way.
 
After a see-saw start in the third in which York jumped out to a 3-2 margin, a 4-0 run for Stevens essentially sealed the set win and match win. Bennett and Vaughan tallied kills around attack errors from York to give Stevens a 7-3 lead it would never relinquish.
 
York did came back within two tallies (7-5), but another 4-0 highlighted by a pair of Shankweiler kills slowed the momentum. Stevens closed the door on any doubt of a fourth set when it ran off 11-straight points to turn an 11-6 lead to 22-6. Shankweiler, senior setter Kevin Aeckerle and Vaughan all had kills, while Bennett picked up three aces on a marvelous run serving for Stevens.
 
Aeckerle had 31 assists to lead Stevens, also picking up three digs and two block assists. Shankweiler had 10 kills (.368), three aces, five digs and a block solo, while Vaughan had nine kills, hitting .727 and picking up a pair of helpers.
 
Seifert had four kills in four attacks, adding three blocks assists to his line, while senior Ryan Brandow had a team-high four block assists along with a kill and an ace. Burrell had three kills, with Bennett ending his afternoon with four kills in six attacks, three aces and two block assists. Freshman Cagan Friend had a team-high six digs for a Ducks team that hit .391 on the afternoon, including a remarkable .938 in the first set.

The Stevens defense was imposing throughout as it recorded more blocks (10) than York had kills (nine), also holding the home team to a -.200 hitting percentage and 13.0 total points. Stevens had 56.0 points in the win along with a 35-9 margin in assists.
 
Stevens will return to action next Wednesday night when it hosts Cairn University in the first home match of the season in the Canavan Arena. Canavan Arena and Hoboken, N.J. will be home to the 2015 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship that runs from April 24-26.