HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 3, 2018)  – Graduate student Gabe Shankweiler registered 17 kills and four aces over two matches and senior Thomas Burrell added 12 kills on 18 attacks without an error as No 2 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball swept Lehman College (25-13, 25-10, 25-14) and Rivier University (25-14, 25-19, 25-19) Saturday in a non-conference tri-match at Canavan Arena. 

Sophomore David Lehman added 12 kills and nine digs for Stevens, who extended its winning streak to eight. The Ducks remain undefeated against Division III opponents and have only dropped two sets during the streak.

Roberto Ventura Diaz led Lehman with nine kills. The Lightning have lost four straight matches and completed the day at 1-4.

Grant Andler, Cam Roth and David Smith each recorded six kills to lead Rivier. The Raiders swept Lehman to close the day at 5-5.

Volleys and Points (Lehman)

• The opening set saw the teams alternate points before a five-point run broke the set open. Shankweiler set down a Jacob Patterson set to open the run and a pair of Lehman errors closed it.
• A second extended run by the Ducks brought Stevens to set point. A kill by junior Dylan DeBoer began a stretch of eight straight points for the hosts. While Stevens picked up three points via successful attacks, four came via Lehman errors.
• After Lehman fought off the first set point, Shankweiler pinned down a Patterson set to close the opening stanza.
• Continuing the theme of the opening set, a five-point Stevens run opened the set. 
• The Ducks extended their lead to 12 before Lehman rallied with three straight points to close within single digits.
• Six straight points brought Stevens to set point and an Ian Bennett kill closed out the frame. 
• Stevens hit .462 over the opening set, making just five errors on 39 attacks.
• The final frame saw Stevens jump out to an early 4-2 lead.
• Lehman closed to with a point, but a Jonathan Frenzel kill sparked a run of five points that pushed the Stevens lead to 15-9, effectively squashing any hope of a Lehman comeback.
• Burrell and Jack Bittker each converted a Kristopher Knight set to help Stevens reach a double-digit advantage and the Ducks closed the match with three of the last four points.

Volleys and Points (Rivier)

• The Ducks jumped in front early, with back-to-back kills by Cooper Diamond. 
• Stevens scored six of the first seven points to put distance between the teams.
• Consecutive errors and a Shankweiler kill extended the Stevens lead to double-digits.
• The teams alternated the final seven points of the opening set. A tandem block by Diamond and Shankweiler closed the opening frame. Diamond had four blocks on the day.
• It was again Stevens that jumped out to the early lead, scoring four of the first five points, although Rivier scored the first point of the set. The one-point lead marked Rivier's largest advantage of the day.
• Burrell found a hole in the Rivier defense for an ace, pushing the lead to three (9-6).
• The Raiders scored three straight points to tie the set.
• With the teams tied at 11, a double block by Lehman and Diamond sparked a five-point run, that saw Stevens pull in front 16-11.
• The hosts maintained the lead of the rest of the set, and scored five of the final six points to claim the set. The stretch was punctuated by a rare triple block by Diamond, Lehman and DeBoer.
• Lehman set down a Patterson set to end the set.
• The final set saw the teams exchange the first eight points, before the Ducks scored three straight points to grab a 7-5 lead.
• Back-to-back attack errors pushed the Stevens lead to 9-6 and the Ducks benefited from four more errors to open a 17-14 lead.
• A Burrell ace and a Shankweiler kill pushed the lead to five and a Burrell kill gave Stevens match point.

Match Point (Lehman)

• A Filipe Velandia attack error closed the match.

Match Point (Rivier)

• A double block by Burrell and DeBoer closed the match, completing the sweep.

Inside the Numbers (Lehman)

• Stevens hit over .400 in all three sets, including a match-high .500 (10-2-16) in the opening frame.
• Stevens totaled five blocks, while Lehman did not pick up a single rejection.
• The Ducks held an opponent to a negative attack percentage for the second time this season Lehman totaled 16 kills on 66 attacks with 21 errors. The Lightning did not hit above .000 in any of the three sets. 
• Five different Ducks notched an ace.
• Sophomore Grant Burden led all players with a career-high 19 assists over just two sets.
• Ten different players collected a kill

Inside the Numbers (Rivier)

• Stevens outhit Rivier .326-.093 over the course of the match, marking the fourth match the Ducks held an opponent under .100 for a match.
• Lehman and Shankweiler were the only players to reach double-digits in kills. 
• The Ducks held a 7-2 advantage in aces and an 8-4 edge in blocks.
• Patterson recorded a match-high 26 assists in just two sets.

Coach Speak

• "Against Lehman, we came out clicking on all cylinders and showed out depth as we hit over .400 every set with a few different lineups. We were able to put pressure on them with our serve and forced Lehman to make mistakes."
• "Against Rivier, we got off to a fast start again. Our serve played a role, but our blocking was outstanding."
• "We are working to maintain our level and find different ways to win matches. We are heading into a tough stretch, where the competition gets stiff as we face five ranked teams over our next six matches."

Unsung Hero

• Burden has handed out double-digit assists in three straight matches and matched or exceeded his previous career high of 12 in each of his last three appearances.

Up Next

• Stevens travels to Huntingdon, Pennsylvania for a non-conference match with No. 9 Juniata College on February 10. The Ducks downed the Eagles 3-1 in the final match at the Texaco Rainbow Warrior Classic.
• Stevens has bested Juniata in the last five meetings between the programs.
• Live stats link on StevensDucks.com.

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