HONOLULU, Hawai'i (January 6, 2018)  – Graduate student Gabe Shankweiler recorded 15 kills, two blocks and an ace to lead the second-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team to a come-from-behind 3-1 (25-27, 25-23, 25-18, 25-14) victory over No. 6 Juniata College Saturday evening in the final match of the inaugural Texaco Rainbow Warrior Classic.

Senior Thomas Burrell added nine kills and six blocks, and junior Dylan DeBoer set down nine kills with a pair of aces for the Ducks, who won the final three sets after dropping the opening frame to the Eagles. Stevens improved to 1-2 on the season, although both setbacks came to Division I opponents.

Quinn Peterson matched Shankweiler's 15-kill effort to lead Juniata. Sean Cavanagh added seven kills and five blocks for the Eagles, who fell to 0-3. Stevens has won the last five meetings between the programs.

Sophomore opposite David Lehman was named to the Texaco Rainbow Warrior Classic All-Tournament Team. The Oakland, California native totaled 45 kills over three matches, averaging 4.09 kills per set. Lehman also collected nine blocks and 14 digs. The University of Hawai'i's Joe Worsley was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Volleys and Points

• Kills by Lehman and DeBoer bookened a Juniata attack error to give Stevens a 3-0 lead to begin the match.
• The theme of the opening two sets was back-and-forth play, with the teams combining for 16 ties and seven lead changes over the first two stanzas.
• The Stevens lead swelled to 8-2 after a Shankweiler kill, forcing a Juniata timeout to settle play.
• The timeout worked to perfect as Juniata slowly climbed back into the frame, evening the set at 10 after consecutive Stevens attack errors.
• The teams continued to alternate points with neither side holding more than a two-point advantage over the remainder of the opening set.
• A Quinn Peterson kill brough Juniata to set point and an attack error gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead in the match.
• The Ducks jumped in front to start the second set on a Lehman kill. The opposite hitter totaled five kills in the frame.
• Juniata opened its biggest lead of the evening at 14-10 following an Alex Schultz ace. The Eagles matched the four-point edge at 16-12 before the Ducks came roaring back, scoring eight of the next 12 points to tie the set at 20.
• A Juniata attack error put Stevens in front at 23-22, before a Burrell kill drew the Ducks to set point.
• DeBoer pinned down a set from junior Jacob Patterson to even the match at one.
• After the teams traded points to begin the third set, Stevens jumped in front on a Juniata setting error. 
• The Ducks opened as much as an eight-point lead in the set and never trailed in the frame.
• Junior Cooper Diamond set down a Patterson feed for his first kill of the stanza.
• The teams traded the first 12 points of the set with neither team holding more than a one-point advantage.
• Tied at 6, Shankweiler converted a Patterson feed to give Stevens possession of the serve with a one-point lead (7-6).
• Sophomore Grant Burden provided a key spark, disrupting the Juniata offense with a strong serve, leading to six straight points. Burden notched a pair of aces in the run that forced a Juniata timeout with the Ducks leading 13-6.
• Stevens held its lead over the remainder of the set, committing just four errors (two attack and two service) over the final portion of the match.

Match Point

• Diamond rejected an Andrew Knapp attack to close the match.

Inside the Numbers

• Stevens outhit Juniata .268-.138 for the match. The Ducks hit a match-high .368, with just two errors, in the final set, while forcing the Eagles into 12 errors against just eight kills.
• Stevens held the edge in aces (6-3) and blocks (15.5-8).
• Junior Jacob Patterson handed out a season-high 40 assists.
• Graduate student Ian Bennett made his season debut, pinning down three kills on six attacks.
• Burrell led all players with a .615 attack percentage, making just one error on 13 attacks. 
• Stevens scored first in all four sets.

Coach Speak

• "We came out slow and really struggled in our offense in the opening set. We were eventually able to elevate our intensity and our play to pull off the second set set."
• "In the third, we really got into rhythm with great serving from [Jack Bittker] and [Grant Burden] to keep Juniata off-balance."
• "[Gabe Shankweiler] had a great overall game for us, as did Thomas Burrell and Cooper Diamond."
• "Jacob Patterson really got our offense on track with 40 assists."

Unsung Heroes

• Junior middle hitter Cooper Diamond continued his strong performance to open the 2018 season, recording six kills and a career-high eight blocks.

Up Next

• Stevens returns to competition at the Golden Dome Invitational, hosted by Rutgers-Newark on Jan. 20. 
• Live stats and video links will be posted to StevensDucks.com when available.

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