Release courtesy of Pratt Athletics
BROOKLYN – Pratt Institute (6-5, 2-2 HVIAC) moved into a tie for second place in the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a convincing 3-1 win at local league rival St. Joseph's-Brooklyn (8-8, 2-2) in men's volleyball play Thursday night at The Hill Center.
Cannoneers sophomore David Cutler turned in his finest performance of the season to date, leading all players with 27 kills on 50 swings, erring only twice for a match-high .440 attack percentage. He was aided by fellow outside hitter Alex Arsovski, who hit a nearly equally electric .419 with a season-high 16 kills. Brandon Ryan handed out 48 assists, easily the most of his freshman campaign, leading a Pratt offense that hit .353.
With the match tied 1-1, a pivotal 9-2 Pratt run midway through the third set was the difference, as the Clinton Hill rivals now sit tied at 2-2 in HVIAC play.
The teams traded leads in the early going of Game 1 before three Arsovski kills over a 6-3 run widened Pratt's lead from 18-17 to game point at 24-20. The Bears responded with two Norrin Martinez service aces followed by two Raul Urshela kills, swinging the lead in St. Joseph's favor at 25-24. Following a Jason Demas timeout, Cutler threw down two kills from Ryan, and a Martinez ball handling error handed Pratt a 27-25 win in the opener.
An Arsovski kill knotted the second set at 8-8, but it would be the game's last tie, as the Bears scored six of the next nine capped by a Thomas Kennedy service ace that put the hosts ahead 14-11. Kills from Cutler and Arsovski cut the margin to 14-15, but St. Joseph's answered with a 6-1 run capped by a Taso Kostikas kill and went on to win 25-19.
Like the first set, the teams traded leads early on, with a Matthew Valentine kill snapping an 11-11 tie. A Chris Fantin ace and a pair of Bears errors gave Pratt a 15-11 lead before consecutive Arsovski kills upped the margin to 18-13, forcing a St. Joseph's timeout.
More of the same resulted. A Bears error then Cutler and Arsovski kills carrying the lead to 20-13, capping a 9-2 run in extending the lead to 20-13 in the Cannoneers 25-16 victory. Cutler and company hit a sweltering .542 for the set, holding St. Joseph's to a match-low .095 on the attack.
With the fourth set tied 6-6, Pratt rattled off four straight, crowned by a Ryan ace that forced a St. Joseph's timeout with the Cannoneers rolling 10-6. The Bears cut the margin to three on three occasions, including at 16-13 on an Urshela kill, but as the visitors did all night, the Pratt met St. Joseph's rallies with a response, this time with Connan Moody and Cutler spikes extending the lead to 18-13.
Pratt looked poised for another easy win, this one for the match, ahead 20-15 before a pair of errors and a Kennedy kill saw the Bears climb to within 20-18. Cutler came back with a kill upping the lead back to three, but the teams exchanged errors until an Urshela kill made it a one-point game, 24-23. As was the case to close the door on the Cannoneers Game 1 win, a Martinez ball handling error thwarted any potential Bears comeback, handing Pratt a 25-23 victory.
The win moves the Cannoneers back above .500 at 6-5, with the Bears falling to 8-8.
For St. Joseph's, Urshela totaled 15 kills on 33 swings for a .333 attack percentage, and Martinez set up 33 assists.
Pratt remains in HVIAC play tomorrow night, traveling to Webb at 7:30.
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Release courtesy of St. Joseph's Athletics
BROOKLYN, N.Y.—In a pivotal Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup with a share of first place in sight, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team was upended at home by Pratt Institute in four sets (27-25, 19-25, 25-16, 25-23) on Thursday night at The Hill Center.
The loss drops the Bears (8-8, 2-2 HVIAC) to an even .500 overall and in league play, sharing second place with the Cannoneers (4-5, 2-2 HVIAC). The Clinton Hill rivals split the season series at 1-1 but the Cannoneers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of the four-set triumph, the Bears needing five sets in their win in February.
Both teams remain just a half game out of first place with top seeded Yeshiva (6-14, 3-2 HVIAC) faltering at Webb (1-2, 1-2 HVIAC) tonight leaving the HVIAC up for grabs as the regular season draws to an end.
Raul Urshela (Orlando, Fla./Colonial) pounded 15 kills and hit .333 with eight digs and two blocks to lead the Bears in defeat. Thomas Kennedy (Breezy Point, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) continued his strong play with 13 kills, eight digs and three aces. Norrin Martinez (Maspeth, N.Y./Holy Cross) dished out 33 assists and brought up 10 digs for his fourth double-double of the season.
The Cannoneers were led by David Cutler's career-high 27 kills and 14 digs while Alex Arsovski slammed 16 kills with 12 digs with both bigs connecting at an efficient rate, hitting .440 and .419, respectively. Brandon Ryan orchestrated the Pratt attack that hit .353 for the match, handing out 48 assists.
The opening set saw the Bears fight off three set points to equalize the set at 24-24, earning a set point of their own, which they couldn't convert allowing Pratt to regroup and win the final three points to take the frame 27-25.
St. Joseph's recovered with a 6-1 run in the second stanza taking a 20-15 lead and holding on for a 25-19 win, in their best hitting frame of the match, connecting at a .333 clip.
But the Willoughby Avenue visitors stormed back to take the third set, 25-16, hitting .542 in the frame led by Cutler's seven kills.
The Cannoneers used a 4-0 run to take a 10-6 lead in the fourth, maintaining that separation for most of the set and earned three match points, 24-21. The Bears managed to fight off two match points but couldn't complete the comeback falling 25-23.
St. Joseph's will take to the road for their next two matches, facing Yeshiva University on Tuesday, March 31 at 8 p.m. looking to remain in the top half of the conference standings.
