Franke Hoke Block
Mike McLaughlin
1
Rutgers-Newark RUN 5-5,0-1 CVC
3
Winner Stevens Stev 15-2,0-0 Middle Atlantic
Rutgers-Newark RUN
5-5,0-1 CVC
1
Final
3
Stevens Stev
15-2,0-0 Middle Atlantic
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Rutgers-Newark RUN 31 20 19 25 (1)
Stevens Stev 29 25 25 27 (3)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball | | Stevens Athletic Communications

No. 1 Men’s Volleyball Defeats Rutgers-Newark in Four Sets

Ducks total 15 blocks to rally to defeat Scarlet Raiders

HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 23, 2023) – First-year Tyler Hoke had eight kills and a career-high 10 blocks to lead No. 1 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball to a 3-1 victory (29-31, 25-20, 25-19, 27-25) over Rutgers-Newark Thursday night in a non-conference contest at Canavan Arena.

Seniors Alex Franke and Nathan Lancia each had 12 kills and classmate Percy Bickford added a team-high 13 for the Ducks, who their fourth straight to improve to 15-2 on the year. 

Andrew Zaleck had 26 kills on 66 attacks to lead Rutgers-Newark, who dropped its second straight in falling to 5-5. The Ducks' four-set victory snapped the Scarlet Raiders' two-match winning streak in the all-time series.

Hoke set down his eight kills on 14 attacks with just a single attack error to finish the match with a .500 hitting percentage. The Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania native had three solo blocks and seven block assists to record the most blocks by a Duck since alumnus Thomas Burrell finished with 11 in an NCAA semifinal victory over Dominican University in 2018. Hoke's efforts at the net are the second-most in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) match this season.

Playing as the number one team in Division III per the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Poll for the second time this season, the Ducks were put to the test by the Scarlet Raiders. Across the four sets, the teams combined for 45 lead changes and 16 ties, with play in the first and fourth sets being particularly closely contested.

After spotting Rutgers-Newark the opening set, the Ducks responded in a big way, hitting .379 in the second set to even the match. The Ducks grabbed the lead for good after a Lancia kill and Franke provided a huge lift, coming into the match for the first time and setting down four kills on four swings without an error, while also recording a pair of blocks.

The Ducks again hit over .300 in winning the third set and also had a match-high 75% sideout percentage. Conversely, the Ducks held the Scarlet Raiders to just .167.

In the final set, Rutgers-Newark appeared to be trending towards forcing a deciding fifth set after a 5-1 provided the guests with a 12-10 lead. The Ducks answered with a 5-1 run of their own and the two-point advantage held up until Zaleck knocked a ball into the middle of the Stevens defense to tie the frame at 23. A service error brought the Ducks to match point, but a Stevens error again tied the score. Franke knocked down a pass from senior setter Louden Moran to again bring the Ducks to match point, but Zaleck answered with another kill. Lancia knocked down a pass from junior libero Phu-Quy Ho to bring the Ducks to match point for the third time. This time, however, the Ducks closed out the match with a double block from Bickford and senior Connor Feulner.

Inside the Numbers
  • As a team, the Ducks finished with 15 blocks, the second-most by the team this season.
  • Moran finished with 43 assists, while also adding 11 digs for his third double-double of the season. The Joliet, Illinois native moved his career assist total to 1.803. Moran also finished with a game-high four aces. 
  • Each team served six aces.
  • Eleven of the Ducks' 12 players recorded at least one dig.
  • Hoke has finished with one attack error or fewer in eight of his 11 matches. His third-set attack error ended a stretch of 22 straight kills without an error. 

From the Sidelines - Head Coach Dan Buehring
  • "Tonight, I saw a Rutgers team that committed to bringing an extraordinary effort to tonight's competition. I also saw us create space for them to do so yet respond with just enough of what was needed to rise to the competitive moment. We need to appreciate how hard opponents will come at us and how much more we can do with these opportunities to compete. I am excited to see our response to everything Rutgers taught us tonight about competing with heart and determination."
 
Up Next
  • No. 1 Men's Volleyball returns to the court on Feb. 26 to take on No. 3 Juniata and Misericordia in a tri-match at Canavan Arena.
  • The match with the Cougars marks the MAC opener.
  • The Ducks have won four of the last five meetings with Misericordia and the last eight meetings with Juniata.
  • Links for live stats and video for both matches are available on StevensDucks.com.

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