Men’s Volleyball Falls To No. 7 Baruch College, 3-0
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Elms (1-4) | 20 | 20 | 19 | 0 |
|
Baruch (1-3) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Elms College sophomore outside hitter Stephen Cameron (Newington, Conn.) tallied a team-high 10 kills, but No. 7 Baruch College's Arnold Situmeang (Bayside, N.Y.) and Vincent Cruz (Torrington, Conn.) combined for 23 kills to help lift the Bearcats to a 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-19) sweep of the Blazers in day two action of the SUNY New Paltz men's volleyball tournament.
With the loss, Elms slides to 1-4 on the season, while Baruch improves to 1-3 overall.
Trailing 20-17 in the opening set, Elms' freshman middle hitter Bryson Rainey (Brookline, Mass.) and Cameron each smashed a kill and sophomore middle hitter Wilfrido Fermin (Bronx, N.Y.) and Cameron combined for an assisted block to highlight a 3-1 run that pulled the Blazers to within one at 21-20. From there, a kill apiece from Jack McKee (Bay Shore, N.Y.) and Cruz, and a pair of service aces from Jesus Echevarria (San Juan, Puerto Rico) lifted the Bearcats to a 25-20 opening set victory.
In the second frame, Baruch held a slim 20-19 lead before scoring four straight points to stake a 24-19 lead and force a set point opportunity. Blazers' junior outside hitter Michael Martin (Enfield, Conn.) floored a kill to momentarily halt the Bearcats' run, but a service error by Elms allowed Baruch to capture the stanza 25-20 and take a 2-0 lead in the contest.
The third set saw Baruch again holding a five-point cushion (23-18) before a kill from Cameron interrupted the Bearcats' efforts to close out the contest. However, Situmeang delivered a kill and the Blazers were forced into an error as Baruch was able to preserve a 25-19 win in the third set and secure the sweep.
Freshman setter Kevin Welsh (Wilbraham, Mass.) handed out 22 assists in the loss, while freshman libero Daniel Lebron (San Juan, Puerto Rico) recorded a match-high 15 digs for Elms.
Baruch was led by 12 kills from Situmeang and 11 from Cruz, while Echevarria paced the offense with 31 assists. Cruz added three assisted blocks while Echevarria notched three service aces and a team-best 11 digs in the winning effort.
