SPRINGFIELD, MASS. (April 29, 2017)  – Freshman David Lehman recorded 11 kills but the Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team fell to No. 1 Springfield College (25-21, 25-14, 28-26) in the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball semifinals Saturday.

Senior Gabe Shankweiler had seven kills for the seventh-ranked Ducks, who fell to 31-6.

Luis Vega led all players with 20 kills and Luis Garcia Rubio had 37 assists for Springfield, who improved to 28-2.

Springfield will take on SUNY-New Paltz in the finals Sunday. The Hawks downed Wentworth Institute of Technology, 3-2, in the other semifinal.

Volleys and Points

• The opening set was a back and forth affair in the early going as the teams were unable to establish a consistent offensive rhythm.
• An attack error gave Springfield the first point of the match, but Gabe Shankweiler converted a Jacob Patterson set to quickly even the score.
• Three straight Stevens points gave the Ducks a 6-4 lead.
• A Lehman attack error allowed Springfield to tie the set at seven.
• The teams continued to trade points until Springfield struck for three straight points, culminating with a Tucker Evans ace.
• After the Pride opened a two-point lead, Stevens would draw to within one point on seven occasions before a Vega kill sparked three Springfield points to close the set.
• Down a set, the Ducks earned two of the first three points in the second set to take a 2-1 lead.
• After exchanging points, the Pride grabbed four points to take a 7-4 lead.
• Springfield used several stretches with back-to-back points to open a 14-8 lead.
• A Shankweiler kill momentarily returned the serve to Stevens, but Springfield continued its near-perfect attack to build a 20-10 lead.
• A Lehman kill appeared to turn the momentum, but Springfield earned four of the set's final five points to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
• Trailing the match 2-0 Stevens turned in its best effort in the final set; one that produced 13 ties.
• The Ducks were able to grab early control of the set, taking a 4-2 lead on a Lehman kill and a Sean Zuvich attack error.
• After Springfield tied the set, a Thomas Burrell kill and a Pride error again put the Ducks up two.
• After Springfield tied the set at 10, the teams exchanged eight points, before the Ducks ran off three consecutive points to take a 17-14 lead after a block assist by Shankweiler, Patterson and Alexander Carpenter.
• Springfield used a three-point run of its own to even the set at 18 before a second run of three points gave the Pride a 23-20 edge.
• With their backs against the wall, a Lehman kill and a Vega error drew the Ducks within one.
• Three consecutive blocks produced the first set point of the match for Stevens, but a service error evened the match at 25.
• Stevens gained its second set point of the match after a Vega error but three consecutive attacking miscues by the Ducks ended the team's championship quest.

Match Point

• A Gabe Shankweiler attack error closed out the match.

Inside the Numbers

• Despite hitting .304 (11-4-23) in the opening set, the Ducks were out hit over the course of the match, .429-.234.
• Springfield did not commit an attack error in the second set, connecting for 14 kills on 16 attacks (.875). It was the highest single-set percentage the Ducks allowed this season.
• Jordan Stuart connected for the team's only ace. Tucker Evans had five for the Pride, who totaled 11 on the afternoon.
• Gabe Shankweiler had a match-high five blocks, helping Stevens to an 8-4 advantage.
• Stuart concluded his Stevens career with three kills on four attacks (.750). He compiled 18 kills on 25 attacks with just two errors (,640) in his final NCAA appearance.
• Senior Alexander Carpenter notched two kills in his final trip to the national tournament.

Coach Speak (Martinez)

• "We knew we were up against a team that was not going to allow us to make many mistakes and, in the end, that is exactly what it came down to."
• "I feel we had a good game plan going in and and hung tough, but did not execute enough at the end to close out."
• "We lost to a better team today and there's no shame in that."
• "I am proud of our efforts and I think it was a great learning experience for the team."

Up Next

• Stay tuned during the off-season for more Men's Volleyball news.

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