NEW YORK – The Drew University men's volleyball lost a pair of matches on Saturday in a tri-match at Hunter College.
The Rangers captured their opening set versus Hunter, 25-22, but the Hawks rallied to win 25-18, 25-11, 25-18.
In the second match, Penn State Behrend prevailed 3-0 (25-11, 25-20, 25-19).
Sophomore
Ephraim Smith led Drew versus Hunter, posting 13 kills and eight digs, while classmate
Jacob Sledz tallied nine kills and six digs. Sophomores
Huriel Perez and
Bryan Do contributed 30 assists and 11 digs, respectively.
Smith and Sledz each tallied six kills versus Behrend (10-4) while Perez handed out 11 assists. Do scooped another 11 digs.
Drew never trailed in the opening set versus the Hawks after starting on a 4-1 run. The Rangers pulled ahead by five late in the set, then held off a mini-rally in which Hunter trimmed the deficit to two. With the score reading 24-22, Sledz ended the set with a kill.
The Rangers led 16-14 in the second set, but the Hawks ended the period on a 9-2 surge. Hunter never trailed in the third set after jumping out to a quick 7-2 start, but the final period was a closer affair, as Drew trailed just 11-10 early on. A 6-1 Hunter run put the hosts up six, but the Rangers answered with the next three points, capped by a Smith kill that made it 17-14. However, Drew was unable to get any closer as the Hawks gradually pulled away.
Matissee Lee-Maarek led Hunter (4-4) with 13 kills.
Against Penn State Behrend, the opening set was tied 2-2 before the Lions used a 7-0 run to open up an early gap. The Rangers trailed 21-14 in the second set, but rallied with a 6-2 run, pulling to within two. Freshman
Jason Barbosa aided the comeback with a kill, and classmate
Tynoah Ehia capped it with an ace that made it 23-21 before Behrend captured the final two points.
The final set was a nip-and-tuck affair early, and it was tied 11-11 before the Lions went on a 6-1 run. However, despite trailing by seven late, the Rangers refused to go quietly and reeled off a 4-0 run, sparked by a kill from Barbosa, to make it 22-19. However, Behrend ended the match with three unanswered points.
Owen Wienczkowski paced the Lions with six kills and five blocks.
The Rangers are back in action on Tuesday, when they visit local rival Saint Elizabeth University at 7 p.m. in the second meeting of the year between the two squads.
