Men's Volleyball Takes a Set Against Manhattanville

PURCHASE, NY - The Elms College Men's Volleyball team took on the Valiants of Manhattanville College in non-conference action Wednesday night.

BASICS

Score: Elms College 1 (25, 18, 23, 14) | Manhattanville College 3 (22, 25, 25, 25)

Records: Blazers 2-6, 0-2 (GNAC) | Valiants 2-5, 0-1 (Skyline)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The first set would begin with the two sides trading points back and forth, until Manhattanville's offense made two kills and a service ace to gain the lead. But after a few errors made by the Valiants, Elms graduate student Pedro De Jesus (East Hartford, CT), senior Collin Liedke (Newington, CT), and first-year Nick Uschmann (Agawam, MA) would both record kills to help narrow Manhattanville's lead. The opposing teams would continue to make offensive advances, but the Valiants would hold on to their lead as the opening set neared the end. But with four kills by Uschmann, and a Manhattanville attack error, the Blazers were able to secure the opening set 25-22.

The second set would begin with the Valiants earning an early 0-2 lead, until Lieke would set up sophomore Rafa Artero (Madrid, Spain) to make Elms' first point of the set. Manhattanville would continue their lead, but the Blazers would emerge with the assistance of a service ace from Uschmann that would narrow the lead to 6-7. The Valiants would again expand their lead, but with the help of a kill and a service ace from De Jesus, Elms was able to tie up the set at 10-points. The momentum would again shift in the favor of Manhattanville, but kills from De Jesus and Artero, along with an ace from Liedke, would hold off the Valiants momentarily, but the Blazers would lose the set 18-25.

The third set would open with a kill from Artero, giving Elms the set's opening point, but Manhattanville would take over the lead 2-4 with the help from back-to-back kills. A kill from Uschmann would make a kill to narrow the lead to 3-4, but the Valiants would continue to add to their lead. The Blazers would again find offensive life with the help of four kills and a service ace from Liedke, De Jesus, Artero, and Uschmann to tie up the set at 11 points. Elms would then take the lead after three-straight errors by Manhattanville and a service ace from Artero, but would then lose the lead back to the Valiants 16-18. The two teams would then battle for the set with the Blazers recording six points with a kill and service ace from De Jesus, but Manhattanville would secure the third set with a final score of 23-25.

The fourth and final set of the night would start with a kill from De Jesus, giving Elms another set's opening point, but would be followed by another offensive surge from the Valiants. The Blazers would continue to narrow the lead, with kills from De Jesus, Liedke, junior Joshua Fernandez Garcia (Canovanas, PR), first-year Joey Crain (Southwick, MA), and Uschmann, but Manhattanville would be too much offensively for Elms, securing the set and match with a final score of 14-25.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• De Jesus would record 16 digs, 12 kills, and two service aces.

• Liedke made a total of 15 assists, 11 digs, and six kills.

• Uschmann added nine kills in the matchup.

UP NEXT: The Elms Men's Volleyball team will face off against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Engineers on the road on Wednesday, February 14th.

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