HOBOKEN, N.J. (April 25, 2019) – No. 3 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team will play the University of California, Santa Cruz in the Semifinals of the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Tournament Friday, April 26 at 6:30 P.M. at Harwood Arena on the campus of Kean University.
The Ducks earned a spot in the Final Four after defeating Wells College 3-2 in an exciting NCAA Quarterfinal match at Canavan Arena.
Harwood Arena | Championship Micro Site | NCAA Bracket | Live Stats | Live Video
History
This year's semifinal match marks the fifth-straight Final Four appearance for the Ducks. Stevens has advanced to the national championship match twice and won the program's first title in a 3-0 sweep over Springfield College on April 26, 2015 in Hoboken.
Award Season
Three-time All-American
David Lehman earned his second First Team nod by the AVCA on April 22. Lehman leads the Ducks with 3.95 kills per set, ranking eighth in Division III. The junior averages 4.36 points per set to lead Stevens, while adding 1.11 digs and 0.66 blocks per set.
Sophomore
Jack Bittker earned AVCA Honorable Mention following his breakout sophomore season. The Penfield, New York native is second on the team in both kills and digs per set, averaging 2.86 and 1.58, respectively. Bittker helped push the Ducks past Wells in the Quarterfinal match with his career-high 17 kills.
Lehman and Bittker account for two of seven All-Americans that will be competing in the Final Four this weekend.
Scouting UC Santa Cruz
The Banana Slugs lead the all-time series against Stevens 6-3 (dating back to 2003). In the last meeting between the two programs, the Ducks swept UC Santa Cruz 3-0 at the Golden Dome Tournament hosted by Rutgers-Newark on January 21, 2017.
UC Santa Cruz, a Division III Independent school, received an at-large bid into the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The Banana Slugs knocked off No. 2 Carthage College in the opening round with a 3-2 victory before punching their ticket to the Final Four with a 3-1 win over No. 15 Fontbonne University.
First Team All-American Raymond Ocasio leads UC Santa Cruz with 3.87 kills per set to rank 10th in the nation. Justin Fortner leads the Banana Slugs with his .343 hitting percentage and 0.93 blocks per game, while Sam Wittert leads in the assist column with 6.99 per set.
No. 1 Springfield vs. No. 4 New Paltz
The reigning national champion Springfield take on New Paltz in the first semifinal game of the day at 4 P.M.
The Pride, another DIII Independent school, entered the tournament with an at-large bid and received a first-round bye as they boasted an overall record of 26-2. Springfield advanced to their eighth-straight Final Four with a 3-0 win over Rivier (who handed the Pride one of their two losses earlier in the season) in the Quarterfinals.
The Hawks earned their trip to the tournament with a 3-1 win over Stevens in the United Volleyball Conference Championship on April 14. New Paltz advanced to the Final Four with a straight-set win over Baruch College in the opening round before their 3-1 victory over No. 8 Endicott College in the Quarterfinals.
Fan Bus
A fan bus will be provided to bring Stevens fans to the 6 P.M. match. The bus will leave from in front of Jonas Hall tomorrow, April 26 at 4:30 P.M. Email
Noreen Mulledy at nmulledy@stevens.edu to reserve your seat. Only a few spots remain open!
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