HOBOKEN, N.J. (April 21, 2023) – Senior Percy Bickford recorded nine kills while first-year Tyler Hoke had three kills and four blocks as the #1 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team defeated #4 Geneva College 3-0 (25-11, 25-12, 25-15) in NCAA Tournament first round action in the Hoboken Regional from Canavan Arena.

Stevens has now won at least one game in their last eight NCAA appearances. The Ducks are 8-0 in NCAA Tournament games played in Hoboken, as well as  winning 36 straight matches inside Canavan Arena. They will play #3 Wentworth, who took down #2 St. John Fisher 3-1 in the first game of the evening.

All 17 of the active Stevens players saw action in the contest. Sophomore Koby Sherman, who was named the MAC Co-Player of the Year, played in just two sets in the game, totaling seven kills and an ace. Senior Alex Franke recorded six kills in the third set to finish third on the team. Senior Louden Moran added 21 assists and two aces.

Geneva was led by Andrew Ubinger, who had four kills and three digs. The Golden Tornadoes finish the season with a record of 19-15. They received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after they won the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Tournament. The berth to the NCAA Tournament was their first in school history.

Stevens got out to a commanding 11-1 lead to open the match that really set the tone for how the day would go. Bickford had three of his nine kills within the first four points of the game. Hoke and Sherman also had kills on the run while Moran tallied an ace. After Geneva tallied their second point, Stevens rattled off five more to extend their lead to 14. Sherman added two more kills across that stretch. The Golden Tornadoes were able to outscore Stevens 9-8 across the final 17 points, but were already too far behind as the Ducks took the first set.

Geneva fought tough to open up the second set, trailing only 10-9 early which forced a timeout from Stevens head coach Dan Buehring. Following the timeout, the Ducks went on a 8-0 run to give them some breathing room. Once again, Sherman and Bickford were instrumental in providing the energy for the Ducks as they combined for four kills on the streak. Later up 21-12, Stevens closed the second set by scoring the final four points. Senior Nathan Lancia tallied two kills while Sherman added an ace and a kill to propel the Ducks to a 2-0 lead.

Looking to close out the match in three sets, Stevens never trailed in the frame following the early 1-0 deficit they faced. As mentioned earlier, Franke had six kills in the set to give the Ducks a boost off of the bench. Senior Christopher Varseveld, junior Carver Weirick, and sophomore Hunter Schmidt each tallied kills in the set. Leading 22-15, the Ducks scored the last three points via a kill from first-year Phillip Bone, an ace from sophomore Kevin Herbst, and a kill from senior Collin Nikc.

Inside the Numbers

• The Ducks had outstanding hitting numbers of 38-9-70 (.414) in the contest. Geneva tallied hitting numbers of 12-20-71 (-.113)
• 11 Ducks recorded a kill in the contest. Bickford, Sherman, and Franke combined for 22 of the team's 38 kills.
• Stevens had 10 blocks while Geneva had three. Hoke had three solo blocks and one block assist. Bickford added one of each.
• The Ducks recorded six aces on the evening. Moran led the way with two, while Sherman, Bickford, Bone, and Herbst each had one.
• Junior Phu-Quy Ho led the team in digs with six. Lancia added five.
• The matchup was the first ever between the two teams.

Up Next

• The Ducks take on #3 Wentworth at 6 p.m. tomorrow night. The two teams met earlier in the season in New Paltz, New York on February 4, with the Ducks sweeping the Leopards.
• Links for Live Stats and video will be on StevensDucks.com. Visit the site for more information.