HOBOKEN, N.J. – The Drew University men's volleyball team posted a dramatic comeback to beat Saint Joseph's-Long Island on the opening night of its 2026 season Friday evening at Stevens Institute of Technology.
 
In its season-opening match, the Rangers won the final two sets for an epic 3-2 (21-25, 25-20, 20-25, 25-21, 21-19) victory over the Golden Eagles. Drew trailed 10-5 in the final set before storming back to win on a service ace from freshman Lucas Mondin.
 
In its second match of the night, the Rangers dropped a 3-0 decision to No. 6-ranked Stevens.
 
Against Saint Joseph's, sophomore Matthew Adegbite threw down 22 kills – one shy of the school record set by Jacob Sledz in 2023 – while making just three errors on 40 swings for a .475 hitting night. Sophomore Michael Shipman added 14 kills and hit .455 while throwing down four blocks, and classmate Gio Martin also racked up 14 kills.
 
Sophomore Quinn Donahue handed out 54 assists, exceeding his own school record by three, while sophomore Eric Forget scooped 13 digs.
 
Shaun Mischler and Logan Meyer led the Eagles with 24 and 23 kills, respectively while Dominic Ruggiero handed out 61 assists.
 
After dropping the opening set, the Rangers used an 10-4 run midway through the second set to break it open and pull even at 1-1. The Eagles won the third set, but Drew responded with a convincing set four victory in which it led from start to finish.
 
In the deciding set, Saint Joseph's went on an early 6-1 run to open up its aforementioned 10-5 lead. The Golden Eagles were two points from victory, leading 13-9, but that's when the Rangers dug deep for a crucial 5-0 run, which included one kill apiece from Donahue and Martin.
 
A cliffhanger of a finish would ensue, as the two sides combined to serve for match point seven times. A kill from Mondin put Drew up 17-16, and Adegbite's final kill evened the score at 18-18.
 
The Eagles were serving match point for the third time when they committed a service error to make it 19-19. Adegbite and Shipman then combined on a block to put the Rangers on top before Mondin clinched the match with his ace on Drew's fourth match serve.
 
As a team, Drew racked up program records for kills (67) and assists (65).
 
Against Stevens, Martin posted a team-high five kills while Adegbite recorded four kills and five digs. Donahue distributed 17 assists, and Forget notched five digs.
 
The Rangers pick up their schedule on Wednesday, when they visit Cairn University at 5 p.m. in a non-conference outing.