CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (February 5, 2022)  – Graduate student Jack Fyda totaled 32 kills over two matches to lead No. 6 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball to a 3-1 victory (25-20, 25-23, 25-27, 26-24) over No. 10 Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a 3-1 victory (25-23, 23-25, 28-26, 25-23) over Rivier University Saturday in a non-conference tri-match hosted by MIT at Rockwell Cage.

First-year Koby Sherman totaled 29 kills and junior Louden Moran dished out 73 assists on the day for the Ducks, who moved to 8-0 on the year. The Ducks have won eight straight to open the season for the third time in the last six campaigns.

Jack Yurkanin had 19 kills against the Ducks for the Engineers, who were handed their first loss of the year. MIT rallied to also top Rivier in four sets to close play at 5-1. Stevens moved to 15-3 all-time against MIT.

David Smith had 18 kills against the Ducks to lead Rivier, who dropped both contests to conclude play 1-3. Stevens also moved to 15-3 all-time against the Raiders.

Both matches were contested as closely as the set scores indicate. Stevens and MIT combined for 39 ties and 12 lead changes over the four sets. Each side was only able to open a pair of five-point leads to mark the largest separation between the teams. The Ducks and the Raiders combined for 30 ties and 13 lead changes, with four of the lead changes taking place after both teams had crossed the 20-point plateau in a set.

MIT jumped in front quickly in the opening set, scoring four of the first five points to take an early lead. The Ducks began to chip away at the Engineers' early advantage, finally drawing even at six. Kills from Sherman and junior Connor Feulner helped push Stevens in front at 11-10 before Fyda set down two Moran sets to take an 18-14 lead. The Ducks would hold a four-point advantage until junior Nathan Lancia knocked down a Daniel Perun set to close out the frame.

The second set provided similar action, with neither side able to pull away from the other until the Ducks reeled off five straight points with Feulner at the serve and Moran blocking a pair of Grant Oh attacks. MIT would answer with five straight points of their own to draw the teams even once again before Lancia took over. The Galloway, Ohio native set down passes from Moran and first-year Jesse Knuckles before partnering with junior Chris Varseveld to block a Yurkanin attack to give Stevens a 22-19 lead. Feulner and Moran blocked another Yurkanin attack before Fulner knocked down a ball into the heart of the MIT defense to close out the set. 

MIT again set the pace in the third set, taking advantage of a bad set to take an early 2-0 lead. The teams would trade the lead back and forth until MIT scored six straight points, three coming on Duck errors to open a 12-7 lead. The home team's advantage continued until Fyda set down a pair of sets to draw the Ducks even at 18. The tight play continued until a pair of errors handed MIT its only set in the match.

With the Ducks leading 2-1, both teams engaged in a thrilling fourth set that featured 16 ties and five lead changes. MIT again got on the board first, but the Ducks went on a 6-1 run to take a 7-4 lead, with all six points coming on MIT miscues. After the early run, neither side put together more than back-to-back points, until Feulner recorded a block and an assist as part of three straight Stevens points that put the Ducks in front 14-13. 

The teams continued to alternate points until a blocking error brought MIT to set point. With a fifth set looming, the Ducks reclaimed the serve after an attack error, which also forced an MIT timeout. With the match on the line, the Ducks twice called Fyda's number, with the grad student setting down a pair of sets to give Stevens the victory.

Against Rivier, the Ducks jumped on the board quickly, scoring four of the first five points of the match. Senior Zachary Evans opened scoring and consecutive errors gave the Ducks an early 4-1 lead. The Ducks maintained their lead until Rivier drew even at 16. The Raiders would take advantage of a pair of Stevens errors to take a 20-18 lead, but the Ducks used three, two-point runs, and claimed the opening set on service error.

Rivier turned in its best offensive performance of the match in the second set, hitting .257 in reversing the score from the opening set. Rivier opened the scoring with a Smith kill, but the teams would trade points back and forth until the Raiders blocked a Lancia attack to open a 12-8 lead. The Ducks would jump in front on an Evans and Moran block, but Rivier scored four the final five points to tie the match.

The Ducks didn't let Rivier find an offensive rhythm in the third set, scoring six of the first seven points to race out to a big lead. Sherman had the first kill of the frame and a tandem block by Feulner and Lancia providing an exclamation point. The Ducks would open up as much as a six-point advantage courtesy of a pair of Rivier errors. The Raiders would make things interesting in the final stages, pulling to 23-22 after a Pedro Campos ace and drew even at 24 after an attack error, but a service error returned serve to the Ducks and Fyda set down a Moran set to clinch the frame.

Rivier got off to a fast start in the final set, scoring three of the first four points, with two coming on Stevens errors. The Ducks were on the wrong side of the score until back-to-back Fyda kills and a Smith error drew the teams even at seven. The Raiders would again jump in front, opening as much as a five-point lead at 19-14, and held the lead at 23-20 looking to move to a fifth set. 

However, the Ducks had other plans, scoring the final five points of the match to win the match. The five-point run was the Ducks' largest of the set and four different players recorded a point in the winning sequence.

Inside the Numbers

• Knuckles recorded a career-high 13 digs in the victory over MIT. The Gurnee, Illinois native added 11 against Rivier for his first two double-digit dig totals of his career.
• Lancia totaled 10 assists against the Engineers, his first double-digit kill total of the season. 
• Stevens totaled a season-high 15 blocks against MIT and followed that up with 10 against the Raiders. The 15-block performance against the Engineers was the most for the program since finishing with 16.5 in a five-set over Misericordia on Mar. 6, 2021.
• Stevens hit .516 (18-2-31) in the opening set against MIT, its highest total of the eight sets.
• Feulner had a career-high eight blocks against the Engineers, then added six more against the Raiders. The Orlando, Florida native also set down a career-high 10 kills against Rivier. Feulner leads Division III with 1.46 blocks per set.
• The Ducks held Rivier under a .200 hitting percentage in three of the four sets.
• Evans set down a season-high four kills and matched a career high with five blocks against Rivier.
• The Ducks totaled three aces on the day, with Fyda, Feulner and Sherman each having one.
• Fyda's two double-digit kill performances brought his season total to four.
• Sherman has reached double figures in kills in five of his first six collegiate matches. 
• Moran handed out a career-high 43 assists in the win over MIT.

Unsung Hero

• Sophomore Carver Weirick totaled 26 receptions over the two matches without an error. The San Marino, California native has a 0.940 reception percentage on the season.

From the Sidelines - Head Coach Dan Buehring

• "Both opponents were incredibly tough and had great strategies to keep us on our heels. It was great to see our team square up and get tough in tight moments. I feel like we saw a lot of character forming out on the court today. Winning close sets and matches is not an easy thing and they found a way. I am proud of our effort today."

Up Next

• No. 6 Men's Volleyball crosses the Hudson River into New York City on Feb. 9 for a non-conference match with Hunter.
• The Ducks are 16-2 since 2003 against the Hawks, including wins in each of the last eight meetings. Six of the eight victories have been sweeps.
• A link for live stats is available on StevensDucks.com. 

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