St. Davids, Pa. – The No. 6 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team knocked off Eastern University 3-1 in Middle Atlantic Conference action on Thursday.
 
The Ducks (20-4, 6-0 MAC) won 25-19, 25-18, 24-26, and 25-13.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stevens started strong, opening the match with a 6-3 lead behind early kills from Carver Weirick and Ryan Schmid. Eastern responded with a 3-0 run to tie the set at 6-6, capitalizing on a Stevens service error and a quick kill by Connor Tucholski. However, the Ducks quickly regained control with a 4-1 run, extending their lead to 10-7, thanks to a service ace from Greg Li and a crucial block by Hunter Schmidt.
 
The middle of the set saw both teams trading points, with Eastern narrowing the gap to 14-13 after a block by Josiah Cash. However, Stevens responded with a 6-1 run, fueled by a combination of Eastern's errors and aggressive net play by Phillip Bone. This surge put Stevens ahead 20-14, allowing them to control the closing moments of the set. A final kill from Weirick sealed the first-set victory for Stevens at 25-19.
 
The second set started competitively, with both teams locked at 5-5 after a back-and-forth exchange of kills. Eastern briefly took the lead 7-6 following a block by Kaodi Wokocha, but Stevens quickly answered with a 5-0 run, driven by two kills from Schmid and a service ace by Li, making it 11-7.
 
Eastern managed to stay within striking distance at 16-14, but Stevens again went on a decisive 6-2 run, pushing the lead to 22-16. During this stretch, Li and Bone combined for three kills, while Kevin Herbst orchestrated the offense with precise setting. A hitting error by Eastern's Wokocha ended the set, giving Stevens a 25-18 win and a 2-0 match lead.
 
Eastern came out strong in the third set, determined to avoid a sweep. After trading points early, the Eagles went on a 6-2 run, taking a 10-6 lead behind dominant attacking from Wokocha and Tucholski. Stevens battled back with a 4-0 run to tie the set at 10-10, featuring an impressive block from Bennett Heydorn and a service ace by Li.
 
The remainder of the set was tightly contested, featuring 17 ties and 4 lead changes. Stevens held a slight edge at 21-19 after a well-placed tip by Bone, but Eastern responded with a 5-2 run, regaining the lead at 24-23. A clutch kill by Schmid forced extra points at 24-24, but Eastern sealed the set 26-24 after a service error from Stevens and a decisive kill by Wokocha.
 
After dropping the third set, Stevens came out aggressive, determined to close out the match. They stormed out to a 6-1 lead, taking advantage of two Eastern attacking errors and a pair of kills by Weirick. Eastern struggled to keep up as Stevens extended the lead to 12-5 with a dominant front-row presence, including blocks by Li and Schmidt.
 
The Ducks continued to press, going on an 8-3 run, pushing the score to 20-8. Schmid and Weirick took over offensively, while Eastern's attack efficiency dropped significantly. A final 5-2 run allowed Stevens to close the set at 25-13, with a thunderous kill from Schmid ending the match.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Weirick led the Ducks with 13 kills, surpassing his previous season-high of 11 against Randolph-Macon.
• Schmid matched his career-high with 12 kills as he hit .455.
• Bone led the defense with nine digs and added eight kills.
• Nick Schmidt and Kevin Herbst combined for 50 assists over the four sets.

UP NEXT 
The Ducks are off until next Saturday when they host King's College and Vassar in a tri-match.