Box Score | Sacred Heart University
Box Score | SUNY New Paltz
NEW YORK, NY - Having won six of their last seven and 16 of 20 contests overall on the year, the Crimson Eagles haven't had to face the harsh realities of losing all-too often.
Saturday's unfolding proved to be a new experience for the men's volleyball team.
The seventh-ranked Crimson Eagles dropped back-to-back matches for the first time in over a year, falling to a pair of squads that aren't slouches by any stretch of the imagination.
Having slipped by Division 1 foe Sacred Heart University earlier in the season, the Pioneers extracted revenge during their most recent match-up, overpowering the Crimson Eagles in three straight sets. Their 30-25, 30-27, 30-23 triumph over PBU came in the form of a dominating defensive performance that saw Sacred Heart limit the top hitter in the country - Justin Brubakar - to just nine kills, his lowest output of the season.
The Pioneers compiled 12 total team blocks while smashing .312 percent of their attacks in a well-rounded effort that saw five Sacred Heart players tally at least seven spikes. Leo Dueck managed a game high 14 kills while collecting eight digs and Noah Prickett chipped in with a team high mark of 13 stops on the defensive end.
Looking to bounce back in their second match of the day, the Crimson Eagles instead found themselves slugging it out with a SUNY New Paltz squad that has been surging with confidence as of late. Ranked 13th nationally according to the most recent AVCA Coaches' Poll, the Hawks finished the evening with a somewhat modest .296 hitting percentage but managed to suffocate PBU's typically efficient offense.
New Paltz committed just 18 attack errors on the evening compared to the Crimson Eagles' count of 26 blunders en route to the Hawks' 11th victory of the season. Game scores were 30-25, 30-23, 35-33.
PBU was paced by Brubaker's game highs of 19 kills and 13 digs while Dueck contributed a 13 kill, seven dig effort. Sophomore Jeff Stauffer added 10 stops defensively.
The volleyball team will look to get back in the winning column during a trip out west to the great land of California. The Crimson Eagles will begin play in the Golden State this Thursday against Hope International University at 7:30 pm.
