MADISON, N.J. – The Drew University men's volleyball team lost a pair of matches at a home tri-match on Saturday in Baldwin Gym.
The Rangers (6-10) lost 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-15) to Kean University before dropping a 3-1 (21-25, 26-24, 25-15, 25-22) decision to Cairn University.
Against Kean (9-5), Drew led 7-6 in the early going before the Cougars used an 8-2 run to open up a 14-9 lead. The Rangers pulled to within three, the last coming at 18-15, before Kean ended the set on a 7-2 spurt.
The second set saw Kean jump out to a 10-6 lead, but Drew kept it close the rest of the way. The Rangers got as close as one on three occasions but the Cougars would not relinquish their lead.
The final set was also close early on, as back-to-back ills from sophomore
Ephraim Smith and freshman
Tynoah Ehia made it 6-6. But that's when the Cougars scored five straight points, and although the Rangers would pull to within 13-10, Kean pulled away down the stretch.
Smith threw down five of his nine kills in the third set. He also scooped a career-high 12 kills for the match. Sophomore
Jacob Sledz added nine kills, nine digs, and three aces while freshman
Jason Barbosa and sophomore
C.J. Addeo threw down three blocks each. Sophomore
Huriel Perez handed out 25 assists.
Against Cairn, the Rangers trailed 14-10 early on before reeling off a 5-0 run, which included a pair of kills from Barbosa, to assume a 15-14 lead. The Highlanders went ahead 20-19, but Drew ended the set on a 6-1 run. The surge was partially fueled by a kill and an ace from Sledz and a kill from Smith, who threw down five of his 17 kills in the set.
The Rangers continued their momentum in the second set, racing out to an 11-4 lead. Cairn answered with a 5-0 run, but Drew would push its lead back to 15-10. However, the Highlanders rallied late and took the lead at 22-21. The Rangers were serving with the score tied 24-24 but Cairn ended the set with a kill and an ace. Smith fired up seven of his kills in the period.
In each of the final two sets, Cairn went ahead to stay early. But the Rangers kept it close in the final stanza after trailing 11-5. Drew came all the way back to make it 18-16 after consecutive kills from Sledz. The Highlanders answered with a 4-1 run, but the Rangers refused to go away and trailed just 24-22 before Cairn clinched the set with a kill.
Smith's 17 kills were the third-most in team history for a four-set match. He scooped another 12 digs for his second career double-double. Sledz added 11 kills, nine digs, six assists, and a pair of aces while Ehia notched seven kills, six digs, and 16 assists. Perez distributed 18 assists.
The Rangers play another home match on Wednesday, when they take on Widener University starting at 7 p.m.
