No. 14 Emmanuel College Swings Past Men’s Volleyball, 3-0
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Elms (1-2) | 18 | 12 | 18 | 0 |
|
Emmanuel (Mass.) (2-0) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Elms College junior outside hitters Michael Martin (Enfield, Conn.) and Yonalvy Acosta (Holyoke, Mass.) tied for a team-high with five kills each, but Emmanuel College's Curtis Abram (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) smashed a match-best 11 kills to help lift the 14th-ranked Saints to a 3-0 (25-18, 25-12, 25-18) sweep of the Blazers in day one action of the SUNY New Paltz Tournament.
With the loss, Elms falls to 1-2 on the season while Emmanuel improves to 2-0 overall.
After playing to eight ties, three lead changes and a 15-15 score in the opening frame, Keoni Rabaino (Tucson, Ariz.) downed a kill and Abram floored three service aces to give Emmanuel a 19-15 advantage. Elms' junior outside hitter Michael Kleckner (Bethlehem, Pa.) smashed one of his four kills to pull the Blazers to within three at 19-16 but a pair of assisted blocks by Rabaino and Thomas McCaffrey (Massapequa, N.Y.) and McCaffrey and Alex McKeen (Stoughton, Mass.) highlighted a 6-2 run for the Saints that gave them a 25-18 win in the first frame.
In the second stanza Emmanuel opened up a 20-12 lead and scored five straight points behind three service aces from Nick Updike (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
In the third set, Elms led early as Martin and Acosta each terminated a ball and freshman middle hitter Bryson Rainey (Brookline, Mass.) added a service ace to give Elms an early 5-1 lead. Emmanuel rallied to tie the score at 10-10 and again at 11-11 before they held just a two-point advantage at 18-16. A quick 3-0 run extended the lead to 21-16 before a service error pulled the Blazers back to within four at 21-17. Martin added a kill for the Blazers to keep the deficit at five (23-18) but an assisted block by Rabaino and McCaffrey and a kill by Abram sealed the match for Emmanuel.
Freshman setter Kevin Welsh (Wilbraham, Mass.) dished out 15 assists in the losing effort and added a match-high eight digs.
Abram served up five aces while McCaffrey and Updike added five apiece. Updike also dished out a match-best 24 assists, while Rabaino finished with seven kills in the winning effort.
