NEWARK, N.J. (January 20, 2018) – The second-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball hit nearly .500 over two matches in sweeping Ramapo College and Rutgers University-Newark Saturday at the Golden Dome Invitational in Newark, New Jersey.
In the opening match, freshman
Jack Bittker recorded eight kills and eight aces and graduate student
Ian Bennett added a match-high nine kills as the Ducks defeated the Roadrunners 3-0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-13). Garrett Fitzsimmons tallied six kills to lead Ramapo.
In match two, graduate student
Gabe Shankweiler recorded a team-high eight kills and junior
Cooper Diamond, senior
Thomas Burrell and sophomore
David Lehman each added seven as Stevens fought through a difficult first set to sweep the hosting Scarlet Raiders 3-0 (25-22, 25-11, 25-17). Brendon Frank matched Shankweiler with eight kills to lead Rutgers-Newark.
The victories improved Stevens' record to 3-2 on the year. Rutgers-Newark bested Elmira College in five sets and Ramapo fell to the Soaring Eagles in five sets to round out play. Ramapo closed the day at 0-2, while Rutgers-Newark finished play at 1-1.
Volleys and Points (Ramapo)
- Stevens scored the first eight points of the match. Bennett set down a Grant Burden set to open the stretch, followed by three consecutive aces from Bittker.
- Ramapo briefly halted the Stevens run when a Bittker serve sailed out of bounds, but sophomore Andrew Amerman set down a free ball to return the serve to Stevens.
- Amerman's kill began a stretch of six consecutive points that gave Stevens a 14-1 advantage.
- The teams alternated points until Bittker connected for back-to-back aces to push the lead to 22-7.
- Kyle Warnock converted a Kristopher Knight set to close the opening set.
- The second set began with the teams alternating the first 16 points, playing to an 8-8 tie.
- A service error gave Stevens possession and Bittker again kept Ramapo off-balance, forcing back-to-back errors. Bennett closed the stretch with a kill to give Stevens a 12-9 lead.
- The Ducks held the lead over the remainder of the set, opening as much as a seven-point lead, before running off six consecutive points, including three coming courtesy of Ramapo errors to close the set.
- The final set began like the first, with Stevens taking control of the stanza with five straight points. An Ian Bennett kill began the stretch and a Bittker ace surrounded three Ramapo errors.
- The Roadrunners pulled to within two points, but another Bennett kill began of string of four straight points that opened a seven-point lead.
- Stevens scored five of the final six points, including four coming on Ramapo errors, to close out the match.
Volleys and Points (Rutgers-Newark)
- The Scarlet Raiders scored the first point of the match on a Dom Gutowski kill.
- Stevens rallied, pulling ahead for a 6-4 lead on a Thomas Burrell kill and back-to-back Rutgers attack errors by Nicholas Arce-Cox.
- After taking the lead, Stevens remained ahead of Rutgers for the rest of the set, opening up as much as a seven-point advantage after a Burrell kill.
- Rutgers put together a pair of four-point runs to pull within one (21-20), but the Ducks regained the serve and scored three of the next four points to reach set point.
- Shankweiler converted a Jacob Patterson set to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead in the match.
- As was the case against Ramapo, Stevens seized control of the second set from the opening point.
- Kills from Diamond and Shankweiler bookended a pair of attack errors to give the Ducks a 4-0 lead.
- The Scarlet Raiders closed to within a point (9-8), but Shankweiler took the set over, collecting a kill and two aces to push Stevens' advantage to 14-8.
- Leading 17-10, Burrell put down a Patterson feed to return the serve to the guests.
- With Lehman serving, the Ducks reeled off six consecutive points, taking advantage of five errors to seize control of the set.
- A Burrell kill closed the set.
- In the final set, although Stevens jumped ahead 3-0, it was Rutgers-Newark that grabbed control of the set, taking leads of 5-3 and 7-4. The three-point lead was the Scarlet Raiders' largest lead of the match.
- The teams alternated runs until Stevens scored three straight to take an 11-9 lead. A Diamond kill began the stretch and back-to-back blocks concluded it.
- Stevens continued to take two of every three points, building a 17-13 lead.
- A Diamond kill and another Gutkowski error guided Stevens across the 20-point plateau and the Ducks scored four of the final five points to close the match.
Match Point (Ramapo)
- Kyle Warnock pinned down his third kill of the set to close the match.
Match Point (Rutgers-Newark)
- A Brandon Frank attack error concluded play.
Inside the Numbers (Ramapo)
- Stevens outhit Ramapo .472-.000. The Ducks forced three more errors than kills in the final set.
- The Ducks set the tone from the opening set, recorded 10 kills on 15 attacks with just one error (.600).
- Bittker's serving prowess led to a 13-0 advantage for Stevens in aces.
- Each team recorded three blocks.
- Sophomore Kyle Warnock collected six kills in his collegiate debut.
- Sophomore Kristopher Knight dished out 10 assists in his collegiate debut.
- Sophomore Andrew Amerman had a pair of kills, two aces and a block in his collegiate debut.
- Sophomore Nick Sunderland notched one dig in his season debut.
Inside the Numbers (Rutgers-Newark)
- The Ducks outhit the Scarlet Raiders .412-(-.024). The match marked the first time Stevens held an opponent to a negative attack percentage this season.
- Stevens made just one error in the second set.
- Shankweiler recorded both of Stevens' aces.
- Behind four from Patterson, the Ducks held an 11-2 advantage in blocks.
- Senior Nick Orlando recorded three kills and three blocks in his collegiate debut.
- Sophomore Mitch Brooks set down one kill in his season debut.
Coach Speak
- "Great team effort throughout the day with contributions from everyone on the entire roster!"
- "Today was a great day for us offensively as we showed our dept, hitting over .400 in both matches. [Jack Bittker] totaled 16.5 points in the opening match, with eight aces and hitting .666, while [Ian Bennett] hit .697, while picking up a couple of blocks."
- "Against Rutgers-Newark, we were led by our leader, [Gabe Shankweiler], who hit over .400. Gabe was joined by Thomas Burrell and David Lehman, who each had seven kills with high efficiency."
Unsung Heroes
Up Next
- Stevens returns to the court on January 26 for the opening match of The Clash at Kean.
- The Ducks open the two-day event with a non-conference match against Elms College, followed by contests with No. 11 Kean University and No. 14 Marymount University.
- Live stats and video links will be posted to StevensDucks.com when available.
Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics
Twitter: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks
Snapchat: ducks_athletics
#AllRise
