FAIRFIELD, Conn. (January 10, 2024) – Graduate student Connor Feulner set down 9 kills on 11 swings without an error as No. 1 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball defeated Sacred Heart University 3-1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-19) Wednesday in a non-conference, interdivisional matchup at the William H. Pitt Athletic & Convocation Center. 

Graduate student Nathan Lancia finished with a team-high 12 kills and classmate Louden Moran dished out 29 assists for the Ducks, who won their season opener for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Lancia had the Ducks' first point of the 2024 season, setting down a pass from junior libero Jesse Knuckles to give the Ducks an early 1-0 lead in the opening set.

Patrick Mucherino finished with a match-high 13 kills and Mark Berry added 11 for Sacred Heart, who fell to 0-1. The victory moved Stevens to 12-8 against the Division I Pioneers, although the teams have split the last eight meetings. Wednesday's victory in the Nutmeg State was the Ducks' first triumph over the Pioneers since 2016, which also marks the Ducks' last win over a Division I program.

After Sacred Heart hit .378 in the opening set, the Ducks held the Pioneers to just .185 over the final three sets. Conversely, the Ducks hit at least. 250 in each of the four sets, culminating with an impressive 12-2-20 (.500) in the decisive third set. The Ducks committed just nine attack errors over sets one, three and four and finished the match hitting .317 (48-16-101). The Ducks finished hitting .300 or better in 22 (of 38) matches one season ago.

Junior Jack Hershman had a dig and a pair of assists in the final set to mark his debut in a Stevens uniform. The Miami, Florida native spent his first two seasons with Sacred Heart's Northeast Conference league-mate, St. Francis (Brooklyn). 

Dating back to last season, Stevens has won eight straight matches. 

The Rundown

• The early portion of the opening set saw the sides trade the lead back and forth, alternating mini runs until a 7-2 stretch put Sacred Heart in front for good at 17-3. The Ducks clawed their way back into the set with four straight points, punctuated by a solo block by junior Koby Sherman. However, Sacred Heart scored two of the next three points to take the opening set.
• Stevens found itself down early in the second set as the Pioneers scored five of the first six points of the frame. The hosts extended the lead to 8-2 but kills from Feulner and classmates Percy Bickford and Christopher Varseveld drew the Ducks within three. Stevens continued to trail in the set until an impressive 12-1 run turned an 18-11 deficit into a 23-19 advantage. Feulner and Lancia combined for half of the points in the sequence. Mucherino had a kill for Sacred Heart to slow down the momentum, but Feulner and Moran linked up to bring Stevens to set point and Lancia knocked down a pass from senior libero Phu-Quy Ho to draw the teams even through two sets.
• Although Sacred Heart scored the first point in set three, it was the Ducks that took control of the frame early with three different players recording a kill as part of a 4-1 run. The Ducks never relinquished the lead after claiming it, opening as much as a seven-point lead after kills from Feulner, Bickford and Moran. Sacred Heart had its longest run of the set with three straight points to trim the Ducks' lead to 21-17 but an ace from Moran and a double block from Sherman and sophomore middle Tyler Hoke brought the Ducks to set point and a kill from Ho gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead in the match.
• Despite what turned out to a be a six-point margin in the fourth set, the final frame produced the most back-and-forth action between the squads. After nine ties and three lead changes across the prior three sets, the final set saw six ties and five lead changes. The Pioneers appeared to be in position to force a deciding fifth set with a 5-0 run to take a 12-8 lead that the home team held onto until the Ducks reeled off five straight points to take the lead for good (18-16). Hoke knocked down an overpass to spark the run and Bickford's final kill of the match closed it out. The Ducks would go on to score six of the final seven points to close out the victory with a Feulner ace serving as match point. 

Top Performers

• Feulner finished with an impressive .818 hitting percentage and also produced four blocks. The Orlando, Florida native produced 14 errorless matches in 2023.
• Sherman and Lancia each paced the Ducks with 10 digs. For Lancia, the effort marked his fifth career double-double. 
• Sherman led the Ducks with two aces.

For the Opponents

• Carlos Santa Cruz led Sacred Heart with a pair of aces to help the Pioneers gain a 7-5 edge in the statistic. 
• Dylan McClung finished with three blocks. 

Around the Middle Atlantic Conference 

• Stevens was the only MAC team in competition on Wednesday.

Up Next

• No. 1 Men's Volleyball hits the floor at Canavan Arena on Saturday, Jan. 13 for a tri-match with St. Joseph's (L.I.) and Kean. The Ducks have won all six contests with the Golden Eagles and have won six of the last seven meetings with the Cougars. Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.

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