NEW YORK, NY - One way to look at it is it's better to lose now than in a week and a half.
The Crimson Eagles - after going 15-1 to start the season - have fallen into somewhat of a funk lately, losing their last three of four matches, the latest being a 3-1 loss to Hunter College late Wednesday night.
PBU's matchup with the Hawks was their last regular season tune-up before postseason play begins, but the squad didn't necessarily go out with the type of finish they were looking for. Instead, Hunter handed PBU their third loss five days - uncharacteristic for a team ranked 11th in NCAA III.
But it's not as if PBU was expecting Hunter to just roll over. The Hawks, unranked nationally but tabbed 12th in the NECVA - came into the match with a highly impressive 25-3 record and a winning streak of 18 straight. And after losing the first game to PBU 30-27, Hunter responded like a team that hasn't fallen since February 7th, controlling the next three games to keep their double-digit winning streak intact.
PBU secured a win in the opening rally by going on a 7-1 run after being deadlocked at 21-21. A late surge from Hunter pulled the team to as close as 28-27, but a kill from sophomore Leandro Dueck and an attack error from the Hawks gave the Crimson Eagles a 1-0 advantage after game one.
The Hawks raced at to a 12-7 edge in the second rally and increased the spread to 21-13 after the hosts saw PBU commit six attack errors in the span of about five minutes. Down eight, things only worsened for the Crimson Eagles as Hunter would lead by as many as 26-15 before running away with a 30-21 victory.
Game three was the same type of story for the Crimson Eagles. Hunter once again charged out to another 12-7 edge and would lead 18-12 halfway through. PBU would linger within five to six points for the next several minutes and would eventually find themselves down 24-20. But a devastating 6-2 Hawk run to close out the rally gave the hosts a 30-22 win in game two.
Leading 15-14 in game four, Hunter opened up a four point lead over the next nine points to go up 21-17. With their backs to the wall, PBU would marginally cut the gap to 24-21, but the Crimson Eagles' last push wouldn't be enough as the Hawks hung on for a 30-25 victory in the final rally.
Rookie outside hitter Justin Brubaker reached the 20-kill plateau for the 10th time this season, finishing the match with an even 20 to go with one ace and four total blocks. Sophomore captain Leandro Dueck finished with his fourth highest kill total on the year (17) and logged his fifth double-double of the season ending with a game high 13 digs. Junior Ben Fuller amassed eight digs and five kills in the loss, and second-year middle hitter Cory Ermold added four digs and four total blocks.
With the completion of their regular season, PBU will begin postseason play on Friday, March 28 in the NECVA Crossover against a team to be announced. The Crimson Eagles currently stand at 20-5 on the year.
