Springfield, Mass. – The No. 3 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team fell to top-ranked Springfield College, 3-0, in the opening match of the International Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic on Friday night.

Stevens (8-1) will face the loser of Drew University and Hobart College in the Consolation Match on Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. The Pride (4-1) will meet the winner of Drew and Hobart in the Championship Match at 8:15 p.m. The Ducks fell 25-21, 25-21, and 25-20.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Ducks raced out to an 11-6 advantage in the opening set, with Alex Olcott and Joshua Levandoske combining for six kills during the spurt. Springfield answered with a 10-5 run to pull even at 16 and took its first lead at 17-16. Stevens closed within one at 20-19 on a Tyler Hoke kill, but the Pride closed the set with five of the final seven points to take a 1-0 lead.

Springfield jumped out to a 4-2 edge in the second set before consecutive kills from Hoke tied the frame at four. The Pride built a two-point advantage at 10-8 and later held a 14-12 lead before an attack error tied the score. Stevens trimmed the deficit to one at 19-18 and 20-19 following additional Springfield miscues but could not draw even. Bennett Heydorn put down a kill off a Nick Schmidt set to save one set point, but a service error sealed the set in favor of the hosts.

The third stanza featured tight play throughout, with ties at 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, and 11. Neither team led by more than two through the opening 22 points. Springfield opened up a four-point cushion following three Stevens unforced errors. Greg Li halted the run with a kill, but the Pride extended the lead to six at 19-13. The Ducks responded, cutting the margin in half behind kills from Hoke and Ryan Schmid and a tandem block. A kill from Hoke and a point from Cade Allen brought Stevens within three, but Springfield closed out the match with the final two points.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Ryan Schmid led Stevens with eight kills and added a team-high three blocks (two assists, one solo).
• Nick Schmidt recorded 26 assists and four digs, while Dominic Ambrose paced the Ducks defensively with 14 digs.
• Greg Li hit .545 (7-1-11) and added two blocks.

UP NEXT
The Ducks will face either Drew or Hobart in the Consolation Match on Saturday night, with first serve scheduled for 6:00 p.m.