HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 26, 2023) – Senior Connor Feulner had six kills and four blocks as No. 1 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball swept No. 3 Juniata College (25-23, 25-17, 25-19) Sunday to close out a tri-match at Canavan Arena. 

Senior Percy Bickford had seven kills and a pair of blocks and sophomore Koby Sherman had nine and two for the Ducks, who won their sixth straight to improve to 17-2. The victory was the Ducks' ninth straight over the Eagles, who dropped to 15-2. 

Earlier in the day, Sherman set down 11 kills on 14 swings with just one error as the Ducks swept Misericordia University (25-20, 25-17, 25-16) to open Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) play. The victories extended the Ducks' winning streak inside Canavan Arena to 29. Stevens has also won 16 straight league matches. 

In the middle match of the day, Juniata swept Misericordia (25-12, 25-15, 25-21) as the Cougars closed the day with a 7-15 record and an 0-1 mark in MAC play.

Against Juniata, the opening set provided the most back and forth action between the teams as they combined for 11 ties and six lead changes. It was Juniata that came out strong, scoring four of the first six points. The Ducks took their first lead on three straight points, with Sherman connecting for consecutive kills. The teams ping-ponged the lead and three straight points, including an ace from Reese Ganter pushed Juniata ahead 23-22. However, senior setter Louden Moran fed Feulner for a perfectly-placed kill to tie the score. Sherman followed with an ace and senior Nathan Lancia knocked down a Moran pass as the Ducks reeled off three straight points to claim the set.

After the Eagles hit .364 in the opening set, the Ducks forced them into two more errors than kills for a negative hitting percentage. The Ducks scored three of the first four points to take early control. The Ducks blocked a pair of Juniata attacks as part of a 5-0 run to push their lead to six. The Eagles clawed back into the set with a 5-1 run to pull within five, but the Ducks never let them any closer and scored three of the final four points to win the set, with Feulner punctuating the dominant performance with an ace.

In the final set, the Ducks scored the first three points of the set, only for Juniata to answer with a 3-0 run. The teams then alternated scoring runs that saw the score knot at eight. Stevens took control of the set with a 4-0 run, including a kill by first-year Phillip Bone and another Sherman ace. Juniata had a late run that brought the guests to within one at 19-18, but the Ducks answered with five straight points to reach match point. After Juniata fought off the first match point, a service error by Maxwell Bar gave the Ducks the emphatic victory. 

Against Misericordia, 13 different players finished with at least one kill. It was Misericordia that attempted to take control of the first set with a 5-1 run that pushed the Cougars in front, 12-8. However the deficit seemed to spark a fire under the Ducks, who then scored eight of the next nine points to jump in front for good. 

In the second set, neither side was able to take control early in the set. A set-changing 8-2 run gave the Ducks a 15-9 lead on a solo block by first-year Tyler Hoke. The teams traded two-points swings and kills from Sherman and junior Carver Weirick propelled the Ducks to set point. The Ducks closed out the set with a double block from Sherman and Hoke. 

Looking to close out the match, the Ducks jumped in front with three straight points, including an ace by Hoke. A 5-0 run courtesy of three Misericordia errors pushed the Ducks' advantage to 12-4. Stevens would hold at least a six-point lead over the remainder of the set and the Ducks would close out the sweep after four straight Misericordia errors – a stretch that included a double block from sophomores Sebastian Huyke and Hunter Schmidt. 

Inside the Numbers

• Errors were a key component in the match against Juniata. The Eagles committed 20 attack errors, while the Ducks committed 13. The same held true from the service line as Juniata had 18 service errors, while the Ducks had 12.
• Sherman finished the day with three aces.
• Stevens totaled seven blocks against Juniata, while finishing with six against Misericordia.
• Junior Phu-Quy Ho totaled 17 digs across four sets during the two matches.
• Moran totaled 37 assists for the day. Graduate student Colin Nikc dished out 10.
• Against Misericordia, Hoke set down seven kills on 11 swings without an error. He also finished with three blocks. Hoke would then set down three more kills on six swings without an error to finish the day with a .588 hitting percentage.
• The Ducks committed just nine attack errors against Misericordia to finish with a .400 hitting percentage, which is the Ducks' second-highest number this season.

From the Sidelines - Head Coach Dan Buehring

• "I saw our group demonstrate their high levels of skill, teamwork, execution and commitment to one another in both matches. It was great to see our process express how sharp it is in today's results. Our team inspires me, and surely one another, to bring our best every day and it is a joy to be part of what we are doing every day. We have a lot of room for growth and that's the exciting part to pursue."

 
Up Next

• No. 1 Men's Volleyball resumes MAC Freedom play on March 1, heading to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to take on Wilkes.
• The Ducks have won both prior meetings between the programs.
• Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com.

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