Boston, Mass. – The No. 2 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team topped Wheaton College (Mass.) and Wentworth Institute of Technology in straight sets during a tri-match hosted by Wentworth on Saturday.
Stevens (12-2) defeated Wheaton 25-16, 25-20, 25-19 before knocking off Wentworth 25-15, 25-18, 25-23.
HOW IT HAPPENED (Against Wheaton)
Trailing 7-6 in the opening set, the Ducks turned the tide with an 8-2 run.
Jacob Lobdell had two blocks during the spurt, as
Cade Allen ended the rally with a kill off a
Quinn Bozarth set. Stevens did not relinquish the lead, despite the Lyons getting within four at 20-16. The Ducks closed out the period with the final five points, as Lobdell and Allen clinched the opening set with a double-block.
The second stanza went back-and-forth with neither side leading by more than two early. The Ducks pulled in front by three at 16-13, with
Phillip Bone slamming home a kill off a Bozarth setup. Wheaton rallied back to level the period at 17, but Stevens recorded five of the next six points to jump ahead 22-18. Lobdell tallied two kills and an ace during the run, as
Holden Findley capped off set two with a kill.
Wheaton raced out to a 9-4 lead in set three before Stevens stormed back thanks to a 6-1 run.
Bennett Heydorn and Allen had kills during the rally, while Bozarth notched an ace. Trailing 17-16 later in the set, Stevens used consecutive kills by Allen and Lobdell to put together three straight points and take the lead. The Ducks closed out the match with six of the final seven markers, as back-to-back kills from Heydorn and Allen sealed the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED (Against Wentworth)
The Ducks doubled up the Leopards early, jumping out to a 6-3 lead. As the hosts closed to within two at 10-8, Stevens broke the period open with an 11-1 run. Highlights included two kills from
Ryan Schmid, with
Nick Schmidt,
Greg Li,
Julius Stiemer, and
Tyler Hoke all recording block assists. Wentworth got as close as eight at 23-15, but an
Alex Olcott kill and a Schmid ace handed set one to Stevens.
Stevens went ahead 5-0 in the second set, as Stiemer had four kills during the opening stretch. The lead swelled to 11-2, with Stiemer adding two more kills and an ace. The Leopards continued to battle, keeping Stevens from stringing together extended runs. Wentworth could only close to within five late, but a service error and a Hoke kill gave Stevens the set-two victory.
The visitors went up 5-2 in the final frame, taking advantage of three Wentworth attack errors. With the score tied at six, Stevens used a 5-1 rally as Olcott recorded a kill and an ace. The Ducks went up four at 18-14 on a double-block by Li and Stiemer, but Wentworth countered with four straight points to tie the set at 18. Ties at 20, 21, 22, and 23 nearly forced a fourth set, but Olcott finished a Schmidt set to bring up match point. The Stevens defense closed it out, as Li and Olcott combined to reject an attack and seal the match.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (vs. Wheaton)
- Lobdell hit .733 (12-1-15) while adding a team-best six blocks.
- Allen recorded 11 kills to go along with five digs and five blocks, while Bozarth dished out assists.
- Defensively, Stevens was led by seven digs from Bone, with Heydorn, Titus Rodz, and Alfredo Bolado adding four each.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (vs. Wentworth)
- Stiemer led the way with 13 kills against two errors and matched Olcott with three blocks.
- Despite registering just two kills, Li led the defense with six blocks.
- Hoke went unblemished in the attack, posting eight kills on 11 swings with no errors.
- Schmidt dished out 33 assists, while Dominic Ambrose had a team-high five digs.
UP NEXT
Stevens visits NYU on March 3, with first serve scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
