MADISON, N.J. – The Drew University men's volleyball team battled Arcadia University in a five-set thriller on Sunday afternoon to close out a home tri-match in Baldwin Gym.
 
After opening with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-22) loss to New Jersey City, Arcadia edged the Rangers in a marathon of a match that featured two sets that reached 30 points. However, Arcadia prevailed by scores of 25-20, 32-30, 15-25, 30-28, and 15-8.
 
Against New Jersey City (9-3), Drew was paced by senior Jason Barbosa, who tallied eight kills and eight digs while hitting .385. Sophomore Gio Martin registered seven kills while classmate Quinn Donahue recorded 23 assists to go with three blocks. Sophomore Michael Shipman added four blocks, and senior Eric Forget scooped nine digs.
 
Against Arcadia (4-5), the Rangers set team records for total attack attempts (169), assists (58), digs (68), and blocks (18).
 
Individually, Martin posted his second career double-double with 14 kills and 11 digs. Shipman registered 12 kills and seven blocks while sophomore Matthew Adegbite recorded his first career double-dip with 12 kills and 11 digs to go with five blocks. Barbosa registered seven kills, nine digs, and six blocks, and Donahue posted 48 assists, eight digs, and three blocks. Senior Barend Oostdam contributed four blocks while Forget tallied 15 digs.
 
The Rangers never trailed in a tight opening set, which they closed on a 4-1 surge.
 
In the second set, Drew climbed out of a 16-11 hole, sparked a 4-0 run that cut to the lead to one after consecutive kills from Donahue. The Rangers eventually went in front 23-21, setting up a scintillating finish in which the two sides served for set point on six occasions. The Knights finally ended the set on a block.
 
Drew rode a quick start to win the third set and assume a two sets to one lead. The Rangers never trailed after opening the period on a 6-2 spurt, and they broke it open with a 6-0 burst that made it 21-12.
 
The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair in which the Rangers rallied late to come ever-so-close to winning the match. Drew trailed 24-21, but found itself serving for match point after storming back with a 5-1 run, capped by a kill from freshman Isaiah Harris that made it 26-25. Arcadia answered with the next two points, but Barbosa kept the Rangers alive with a kill that tied it at 27-all. Barbosa and Harris followed up with a block that made it 28-28, but the Knights won the final two points to force a fifth set.
 
Arcadia took control early in the deciding stanza, opening on a 6-2 run. The Rangers won three of the next four points, capped by a kill from Martin that made it 7-5, but the Knights answered with a decisive 5-0 run. Drew refused to go quietly, however, and scored three straight points on kills from freshman Lucas Mondin and Barbosa and a block from Adegbite and Harris that made it 12-8. But Arcadia scored the final three points to win the match.
 
The Rangers continue their season on Thursday, when they host Rutgers-Newark at 6 p.m. in their CVC opener.