WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (April 3, 2024) – The second-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team cemented the best regular season record in program history after beating King's College 3-0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-19) Wednesday in the regular season finale at McGrane Gymnasium. 

With the victory, Stevens heads into the postseason with a 29-1 record, finishing the regular season with a .967 winning percentage. In his four years at Stevens, head coach Dan Buehring has lost just 12 matches, 10 of which have come in the regular season. 

The three-set victory over the Monarchs secured the program's third straight Middle Atlantic Conference regular season title and 30th straight league win, while also pushing its current winning streak to 26. Stevens still has not lost a conference match since 2021 as they go a perfect 8-0 in MAC play this season, dropping only one set in conference play. 

Junior Sebastian Huyke picked up 24 assists, six digs, and three kills. First-year Nick Schmidt 17 assists and three digs.

Stevens hit .357 for the match, including .458 in the first set. The Monarchs hit .159 for the match.

The Ducks are now 5-0 all-time against King's, and they improve to 10-0 in true road games this season. King's is now 18-7 and 1-7 in MAC play with the loss. Stevens has also swept their last eight opponents.

The Rundown

• The Ducks' first six points came from kills, as junior Brandon Rogers tallied four, while graduate students Nathan Lancia and Christopher Varseveld each had one. With the visitors up 6-5, senior Carver Weirick and junior Sebastian Huyke tallied back-to-back kills to put the Ducks up three. Midway through the first, junior Hunter Schmidt picked up three aces, including one that gave Stevens a 19-11 advantage. Lancia finished off the set with a kill on an assist from Huyke, as the second ranked team in the nation went up 1-0.
• Stevens jumped all over the Monarchs in the second set, rattling off 13 of the first 14 points to take a commanding 13-1 lead. Schmidt picked up two kills, while Weirick and junior Kevin Herbst each added another. First-year Esteban Schmitt got into the action with a kill that put Stevens ahead 16-5. Later leading 18-9, Lancia and Schmidt picked up back-to-back kills to restore the Ducks' 11 point lead. Huyke and Schmitt would close out the set for Stevens, as they quickly found themselves up two sets to none.
• King's had leads of 5-2 and 9-7 as they tried to force a fourth set against the Ducks. Still trailing 14-13, Stevens used a key 4-0 to jump in front. Lancia, Schmitt, and first-year Joshua Levandoske each had a kill on the run. King's would score the next point, but Schmitt and Lancia responded to put Stevens up four. The Ducks would be able to hold off the Monarchs, winning yet another match in straight sets.

Top Performers

• Lancia finished the match with a hitting percentage of .438 on 16 attacks. He had ten kills.
• Schmitt tallied seven kills and five digs.
• Schmidt picked up three blocks and three aces.
• Seven Ducks tallied a block in the contest.
• Herbst recorded six kills while Rogers had five.

• Logan Dougherty had nine kills.
• Greg Bousquet recorded seven kills and two blocks.
• Ben Maskiell tallied 15 assists.

Around the Middle Atlantic Conference 

• Misericordia 2, NYU 3
• Arcadia 0, Messiah 3
• Stevenson 3, Eastern 0
• Widener 3, Hood 0

Up Next

• No. 2 men's volleyball is off this weekend and will host a semifinal match in the MAC Tournament next Thursday. Stevens will be the #1 seed and take on the winner between #4 Stevenson and #5 Arcadia. Match time is TBA. Links for live stats and video will be posted to StevensDucks.com.