UNION, N.J. (January 27, 2018)  – Graduate student Gabe Shankweiler and sophomore David Lehman combined for 48 kills over two matches as No 2 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball swept No. 7 Kean University (25-21, 25-14, 25-22) and bested No. 11 Marymount University in four sets (19-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-19) Saturday at the Clash at Kean. 

Senior Thomas Burrell totaled 11 blocks on the afternoon for the Ducks, who improved to 6-2 on the season. Stevens is a perfect 6-0 in matches against Division III competition.

Jared Warner had eight kills and Ian Capp had two blocks for Kean, who downed Elms College in four sets to finish the day at 5-1.

Marymount swept Lasell College to close out play at 7-3.

Shankweiler and Lehman were both named to the Clash at Kean's All-Tournament Team. Lehman was previously selected for the season-opening Texaco Rainbow Warrior Classic's All-Tournament Team.

Volleys and Points (Kean)

• A Nicholas Buseski kill opened the match scoring,
• Although Stevens recorded three straight points, two coming on Kean miscues, it was the hosts that jumped ahead 6-4, reeling off four straight points on a Jacob Milnazik kill and three straight Stevens errors.
• Kean was able to maintain its advantage until Stevens reeled off seven straight points to take a 19-15 lead. Junior Jacob Patterson began the set-deciding stretch with a kill, then paired with Shankweiler to extend the run with a block. Freshman Jack Bittker recorded three aces during the run.
• The Cougars rallied to within a point, but the Ducks scored three of the final points of the set to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Sophomore Jonathan Frenzel recorded his second kill of the set and Lehman recorded a pair of kills to close it out.
• In the second set, Stevens jumped in front from the opening serve, scoring four of the frame's first five points to take a 4-1 lead, with three of the four points coming on blocks.
• After grabbing the lead, Stevens maintained its advantage throughout the set and broke the set open with a seven-point run, punctuated by a rejection of a Dylan Flor attack and a Frenzel service ace.
• Kean closed to within seven, but consecutive Lehman kills and another Bittker ace opened an eleven-point lead.
• Stevens scored two of the final three points to take the second set. Stevens' final two points came on Kean errors.
• After alternating the first three points of the final set, Lehman set down a Patterson set to return the serve to the Ducks.
• With Lehman serving, Stevens added a pair of points on a tandem block by Burrell and Patterson and a Burrell kill.
• Burrell and Lehman would record back-to-back kills and Shankweiler pinned down two Patterson sets to push the Stevens lead to five.
• The Ducks opened as much as a five-point lead before Kean rallied to pull within a single point at 16-15.
• Two Kean errors and a pair of Shankweiler kills reclaimed a 20-16 lead for the guests.
• The teams traded points before a pair of Kean miscues brought Stevens to match point.

Volleys and Points (Marymount)

• Although Sam Safley converted a set to give Marymount the first point of the match, it was Stevens that jumped out to a 3-1 lead on a kill from junior Dylan DeBoer and a pair of Marymount errors.
• The first set featured a string of alternating points that led to eight ties between the teams over the first 28 points.
• After taking control of the serve, Marymount reeled off four straight points in building an 18-14 lead and forced a Stevens timeout.
• Marymount built as much as a six-point advantage before the Ducks chipped into the lead on a service error and a Patterson ace.
• Eric Wiles successfully converted a Connor Choate set to return the serve to the Saints.
• Marymount scored three of the set's final four points to take an early 1-0 lead in the match.
• The Marymount victory in the opening set was the first set dropped by the Ducks since No. 6 Juniata took the opening set in the third match of the season. Stevens had won 15 consecutive sets.
• Stevens rallied to claim four of the first five points in the second set, highlighted by a Shankweiler ace and a consecutive kills from Burrell and freshman Ryan Byrne.
• After pulling ahead early in the set, the Ducks opened as much as a six-point lead before evening the match,
• The Ducks increased their offensive output over the second set, decreasing their errors by two.
• Six Marymount service errors brought the Ducks to set point and a seventh gave Stevens the second stanza.
• The third set began in a similar fashion as the second, with the teams alternating points, playing to 13 ties over the first 30 points. A four-point run proved as the turning point in the set, with consecutive Shankweiler aces giving Stevens a 18-15 lead.
• With a little breathing room, Stevens did not relinquish its lead, scoring the final two points of the frame on kills by Lehman and Burrell.
• Leading the match 2-1, the Ducks raced out to a 5-1 lead courtesy of four Marymount errors and and a Byrne kill.
• The Saints were able to close within two points, but a four-point run and a three-point run opened a 15-9 advantage for the Ducks.
• The teams alternated two-point spurts before Stevens scored the final three points to earn the victory.

Match Point (Kean)

• A Kean attack error brought Steves to match point and after the Cougars rallied to score twice, a Milnazik error closed out the contest.

Match Point (Marymount)

• A Carson Caudell attack error closed the match.

Inside the Numbers (Kean)

• Stevens hit over .400 for the third straight match, connecting for 38 kills on 66 attacks with just 11 errors. Committing only two attack errors in the second set, the Ducks hit .571 (10-2-14) and received eight points in the frame, courtesy of Kean attack errors. 
• The Ducks held Kean to well-under .200 for the match (32-20-76), marking the fifth straight match of holding opponents under .200.
• Freshman Jack Bittker led all players with four aces. The Penfield, New York native leads the team with 13 aces on the year.
• Behind Burrell's seven rejections, the Ducks held a 10-4 edge at the net. The Somerset, New Jersey native leads the team with 26 blocks.
• Patterson led all players with 35 assists. The Los Gatos, California native has recorded at least 25 assists in every match this season.

Inside the Numbers (Marymount)

• Stevens outhit Marymount .266-.236. Stevens' .266 attack percentage snapped a streak of three consecutive matches over .400.
• Lehman and Wichecki were the only players to reach double-digits in kills. Wiechecki joined Lehman and Shankweiler on the all-tournament team after posting a double-double against Stevens.
• The Ducks held a 6-3 advantage in both blocks and aces.
• Patterson recorded 32 assists to lead the team, although Erich Bratke led all players with 44. Marymount recorded 15 more kills than Stevens, but committed 21 service errors, against only 10 for the Ducks.
• Byrne came off the bench to record five kills on 10 attacks with a block and an assist.

Coach Speak

• "A pair of solid wins that we had to grind through."
• "Marymount is a good team, but we had our struggles throughout the match, but in the end, we were able to find a way to win the match."
• "Today presented a challenge for us, but we had key kills and stops, as our block came up big at times."
• "Tom and Dave had good games as they led us offensively and at the net and I thought Jack played a big role today in the serving game."

Unsung Hero

• Over the two matches, Burrell collected 14 kills on 25 attacks with just three errors (0.440 attack percentage). The Somerset, New Jersey native also paced the team with 11 blocks on the afternoon, while adding a career-high six digs (vs. Marymount) and a ace.

Up Next

• Stevens welcomes Lehman College and Rivier College to Canavan Arena for the 2018 home opener on Saturday, Feb. 3.
• The Ducks open with Lehman at noon and will close out the day against Rivier at 4. In between, Lehman and Rivier will match-up in the neutral-site match.
• Live stats and video links on StevensDucks.com.

Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics         
Twitter: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks
Snapchat: ducks_athletics
#AllRise