NEW YORK, N.Y. (February 15, 2023) – First-year Tyler Hoke set down six kills on 11 swings without an error as No. 2 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball defeated No. 10 New York University 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 27-25) Wednesday night in a non-conference matchup at the Brooklyn Athletic Facility.

Sophomore Koby Sherman finished with 11 kills and senior Percy Bickford added eight kills and three blocks for the Ducks, who won their third straight to improve to 14-2. 

Luke Boyer had eight kills to lead NYU, who dropped its second straight to fall to 7-3. The Ducks have won four of the last five meetings between the teams, with two of the victories coming in three sets.

Although they only produced five kills in the opening set, they had five blocks and three aces, while forcing NYU into a negative hitting hitting percentage (-.097). First-year Phillip Bone had the first kill of the match to open scoring, only for NYU to answer with three straight to take an early lead. The Violets swelled their lead to 11-5 before the Ducks worked their way back into the set with five of the next six points to pull with two after a Hoke kill and an attack error. All totaled, NYU committed 20 errors in the opening set, including a stretch of five straight miscues (including a Hoke ace and a pair of double blocks). The pressure continued with consecutive aces from Sherman and the Ducks closed out the set after Ryan Li's attack said well beyond the end line.

After needing to rally to win the opening set, the Ducks were simply dominant in the second set. Stevens registered 14 kills on 28 attacks with just five errors (.357 hitting percentage). Sherman was the most effective Duck, totaling five kills on nine swings, while senior setter Louden Moran dished out nine assists across six different players. Stevens took control of the frame with seven of the first nine points and closed it out by scoring the final five in a set they controlled by a comfortable margin throughout the frame. 

The final set produced the most even play between the two area rivals. After combining for just three ties and three lead changes over the first two sets, the teams had 16 ties and four lead changes in the final one. The Violets had the first point streak in the frame, scoring three straight to take a 6-4 lead. The Ducks reeled off four straight points to take a 16-12 for what would be their longest run of the set, but NYU returned the favor, scoring four straight to draw the teams even at 19. With the teams again tied at 22, Sherman knocked down a Moran set, which was followed by a pair of Lucas Osiecki attack errors, to bring Stevens to match point, only for NYU to answer with a pair of points to again knot the score. Moran knocked down an NYI over pass to again bring the Ducks to match point and another NYU miscue closed out the match.

Inside the Numbers

• Stevens finished the match with a .241 hitting percentage. Conversely, the Ducks held NYU to a negative attack percentage in two of the three sets.
• Moran finished with 26 assists and three kills.
• Varseveld finished with a match-high four blocks.
• Sophomore Jesse Knuckles had a team-high nine digs. The Gurnee, Illinois product also had three assists.
• The Ducks held a 9-6 edge in blocks.
• The victory marked the Ducks' fifth over a nationally-ranked opponent.

Up Next

• No. 2 Men's Volleyball returns to the court on Feb. 23 to take on No. 14 Rutgers-Newark at Canavan Arena.
• The Scarlet Raiders have won the last two meetings between the programs, although Stevens has won seven of the last 10.
• Links for live stats and video for both matches are available on StevensDucks.com.

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