HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 22, 2022)  – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team overcame four match points to rally and defeat No. 1 Carthage College in five sets (18-25, 26-24, 15-25, 25-15, 18-16) Saturday in a non-conference match at Canavan Arena.

Graduate student Jack Fyda had a team-high 12 kills and first-year Koby Sherman set down 11 kills in his collegiate debut for the Ducks, who won their third straight match in improving to 3-0. The come-from-behind victory snapped Carthage's two-match winning streak in the series and was the Ducks' first victory over the Firebirds in Hoboken since 2008. 

Three-time All-American Matt Slivinski had a match-high 21 kills and 13 digs for the Firebirds, who dropped to 0-2.

In the deciding fifth set, the teams battled to a 9-9 score before the defending national champions scored three straight points to claim a 12-9 lead. Junior Chris Varseveld set down a Louden Moran set to briefly slow down Carthage, but Schmidt would bring the Firebirds to match point after setting down a Gene McNulty set. 

With the match on the line, Sherman and Moran would again hook up and junior Connor Feulner set down a free ball to bring the Ducks back to within 14-13 and Sherman connected on his final kill of the match to even the score at 14. Moran finished with 38 assists - the second-highest total of his career. 

The Ducks had a chance to close out the match at 15-14, but a service error returned service to the Firebirds. An attack error handed Carthage its fourth match point, but a controversial timeout call halted Firebirds' momentum. 

Following the timeout, Feulner set down a Moran set and Fyda followed with his 12th kill of the contest to give Stevens its second match point. This time, the Ducks quickly converted with Fyda and Feulner teaming to stuff Schmidt for the final point of the match, sending the Ducks into a celebration. 

A feisty Ducks' defense defended 48 digs, with junior Nathan Lancia leading the efforts with a career-high-matching 16. Stevens held Carthage to a .136 attack percentage, including .167 (18-9-54) over the final two sets. Conversely, the Ducks hit .302 (23-7-53) over the same stretch.

Stevens forced the deciding set with a near perfect performance in the fourth set, committing just two attack errors and one service error in outscoring Carthage by 10. Moran had a pair of aces in the key frame and the Joliet, Illinois native joined Fyda in setting down four kills. Leading 15-13, Stevens scored seven straight points with Moran at the serve to create separation between the teams. 

Carthage used a booming serve to build a 2-1 lead, totaling 11 aces over the first three sets. Stevens won the second set 26-24 in a back and forth affair that produced six ties and three lead changes.

Inside the Numbers

• Feulner led all players with a .313 (8-3-16) attack percentage. He also had a team-high five blocks. 
• Slivinski finished with a match-high five aces. 
• Kyle Cohan had 15 digs to lead Carthage.
• Carthage finished with more kills (55-49), aces (14-7), blocks (10-9) and digs (55-48).
• Sophomore Phu-Quy Ho had three digs in his season debut.
• The Ducks improved to 2-1 in five sets under head coach Dan Buehring.
• The Ducks are 3-0 to open the season for the third time in the last four seasons.

Unsung Hero

• First-year Jesse Knuckles committed just one error on 19 reception attempts. The Gurnee, Illinois native finished with eight digs.

From the Sidelines - Head Coach Dan Buehring

• "Our group knew we needed to prepare to get into an incredible fight with a great team, and I think we should be proud of our resilience throughout the match. I am amazed at this group's level of effort, grit and fight."
• "We have a lot to learn from this win and look forward to continuing to grow as a team. There will be a ton of great challenges and opportunities on the road ahead. I hope our group is eager to engage with each one. It's just a privilege with this team, to be able to play and coach the match with the energy they generated today."

Up Next

• Men's Volleyball welcomes New Jersey City University and No. 8 New Paltz to Canavan Arena for a tri-match on Jan. 29. 
• The Ducks have won all 18 meetings with the Gothic Knights, with 17 of the 18 victories coming in three sets. The Ducks are 24-12 all-time against the Hawks, although the teams have alternated the last wins and losses over the last six meetings.
• Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com. 

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