BROOKLYN, NY – Cairn Men's Volleyball picked up a big conference win on Wednesday night at Pratt, defeating the Cannoneers 3-1 and moving above .500 in conference play.
 
Cairn (6-7 / 3-2 UNITED EAST) got off to a strong start, ahead 21-9 as junior right side Bogdan Mygovych (Feasterville-Trevose, PA / Neshaminy) sent back two blocks with junior middle Caleb Cabrera (Wallington, NJ / Wallington), sophomore outside hitter Jesse Stuart (Chattanooga, TN / Chiang Rai International Christian School), and graduate outside hitter Noah Ruiz Esparza (Levittown, PA / Berean Academy) each firing off two kills. The Cannoneers rattled off seven-straight points to put up a fight to 21-16 before Ruiz Esparza answered with two immediate kills and Stuart won the set, 25-19.
 
Pratt (6-12 / 0-6 UNITED EAST) traded points with the Highlander early in the second set before Cairn went ahead 17-7 with two kills by Stuart and an ace by freshman setter Estiver Espiritusanto (Los Llanos, Dominican Republic / Thomas A. Edison). Freshman defensive specialist Sam Prieto-Cross (Timonium, MD / Loyola Blakefield) and Cabrera helped deliver set points as Pratt handed over set two on an attack error, 25-12.
 
Pratt was in control for set three, holding off the Highlanders' scattered kills. Ruiz Esparza and Stuart each had three kills in the frame, but came up short to the Cannoneers, 25-13.
 
Set four was kept tight as both squads took periodic runs ahead. An ace and two kills from sophomore outside hitter Sam Poirier (Nogyang, South Korea / International Christian School Uijeongbu) gave Cairn the lead, 14-11. As Pratt tied again, junior middle David Larbi (Bensalem, PA / Bensalem) threw down a big kill to deliver the lead back as Poirier, Ruiz Esparza, and Cabrera combined for five kills to seal the victory, 25-18.
 
Ruiz Esparza finished with a career-high 13 kills and 15 points while Stuart had twelve and Cabrera five, all three with two block assists. Mygovych led the game with three block assists. Epiritusanto and junior setter Josh Adler (Levittown, PA / Neshaminy) split the setting duties with 19 and 11 assists, respectively.
 
Cairn will host St. Elizabeth on Saturday for a doubleheader, conference match at noon followed by a non-conference matinee at 2 p.m.