HOBOKEN, N.J. (April 16, 2022)  – American Volleyball Coaches Association East Region Newcomer of the Year Koby Sherman set down 14 kills on 25 swings with just three errors as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team defeated Saint Joseph's College of Long Island 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 25-14, 25-15) Saturday in an NCAA quarterfinal matchup at Canavan Arena.

Junior Nathan Lancia had 10 kills and junior Connor Feulner had 10 blocks for the Ducks, who won their 19th straight to improve to 30-3 on the year. The Ducks advance to next weekend's semifinals, where they will take on top-seeded Springfield College. The Pride swept SUNY New Paltz to reach the semifinals. It will be the third meeting between the teams in the NCAA Tournament and the second in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which will be the site of next weekend's matches. The teams also met once in the consolation match in the Molten Final Four in 2007.

Paul Curaro had 14 kills and Mark Jensen added 12 for the Golden Eagles, who fell to 24-4. The loss snapped St. Joseph's 14-match winning streak. Stevens has won all five meetings between the programs.

"Tonight's match was exactly what we expected - an incredible effort and fight from St. Joe's," head coach Dan Buehring said. "It was good to see the guys trust their stuff, regain poise and execute after the first set."

"I am so proud of the progress and growth this team has navigated in just one year," the second-year head coach continued. "We look forward to the challenge ahead with Springfield and will be working very hard to prepare and bring our best in a week."

Playing in the quarterfinal round for the first time in program history, it was St. Joseph's that looked like the team with the lengthy postseason resume, winning the opening set on the strength of five blocks and 14 Stevens errors. The Ducks raced out to an early lead with junior setter Louden Moran providing a strong presence at the net with two blocks and four assists during a stretch that saw the Ducks turn an early 5-3 deficit into a 10-5 advantage. 

St. Joseph's responded with a lengthy run of its own to pull within two at 14-12. The Ducks appeared to write the ship with kills by Moran and Sherman, but the Golden Eagles went on 5-1 run that put the guests in front for good. 

Trailing in the match for the first time in the postseason, the Ducks responded in a big way. After making nine attack errors in the opening set, the Ducks made just seven over the final three sets to pull out the victory. The Ducks hit a scorching .464 (39-7-69) in overtaking the Golden Eagles and hit .550 (12-1-20) in the match-clinching fourth set. 

While the Ducks were turning up the offensive firepower, Feulner led a dominant net presence that forced St. Joseph's into two more attack errors than kills over the final three sets. Feulner, who had one rejection in the opening set, blocked three attacks in the second set, four more in the third and two in the fourth to set a new career high. The Orlando, Florida native is averaging 1.22 blocks per set. Feulner also finished with an efficient seven kills on 11 attacks with just three errors (.364).

After tying the match, the Ducks served to open the all-important third set. After a service error handed St. Joe's the first point, the Ducks reeled off three of the next four. Junior Chris Varseveld began the stretch, knocking down a Moran set and then set down another Moran feed two plays later. Moran finished with 40 assists, marking the eighth time this season that the Joliet, Illinois native has dished out 40 or more assists. Varseveld finished with seven kills.

After grabbing the early lead, Stevens used a 5-0 run to provide a comfortable margin and then a 6-0 run later in the set broke the set open. A double block by Feulner and junior Percy Bickford kicked off the sequence and consecutive kills from Bickford and Sherman helped Stevens open a 23-13 lead. The Ducks closed out the frame with consecutive kills from Bickford.

Looking to close out the match, the Ducks raced out to an 8-4 lead with kills from Lancia and Bickford providing the spark. Bickford would partner with Sherman to ensure the Ducks wouldn't need a fifth set, combining for six kills on eight attacks without an error. Senior Stedman van Arsdale, who entered the match a few points prior, emphatically set down a set from classmate Colin Nikc to close out the match.

Looking inside the box score, St. Joseph's, who entered the tournament first in the country with 3.05 aces per set, was held to just three for the entire match. Curaro, ranked fifth in Division III in aces per set, was held without one for just the fifth time this season. Moran tallied the only ace for the Ducks. 

The Ducks totaled 38 digs, with 10 different players totaling at least one. Sophomore Phy-Quy Ho matched a season-high with seven, while Sherman had six.

Up Next: Men's Volleyball will take on Springfield College Friday evening in a semifinal matchup. Links for live stats and video will be posted to StevensDucks.com once available.

Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics         
Twitter: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks
#AllRise