NJCU | Hunter
STEVENSON, Md. - Led by 17 kills and four total
blocks from tournament Most Outstanding Player Eric Braty,
top-seeded Hunter won its second consecutive ECAC Division III
South Men's Volleyball Championship with a 30-27, 30-28, 30-26
victory over second-seed and host Stevenson Saturday at Student
Union Gymnasium.
Barty was one of three Hawks (25-16) in double figures as
Wojciech Jakubiak and Jerin Kallickal had 12 and 10 kills,
respectively.
Hunter rallied from a 22-16 deficit in the third game by scoring
14 of the final 18 points, including eight as the result of
Stevenson errors.
Meanwhile, the Hawks overcame 28 errors and a .195 hitting
percentage thanks to 17 total blocks and 55 digs. Jakubiak was one
of four players with at least 10 digs for Hunter as he totaled 14
for his 16th double double of the season and third in the last
four matches.
Kallickal also had a double double as he added 12 digs
while Miguel Pena had 13 and Zacarias Ripoll totaled 10.
Stevenson (20-13), who became the first team in the program's
brief seven-year history to reach 20 wins in a season, was led by
senior J.R. Jackson (Havre de Grace/Havre de
Grace). Playing at home in his final collegiate
match, the school's career leader in kills totaled a
team-high 14 to go along with four total blocks.
In the Mustangs' semifinal match against New Jersey City,
Jackson had a career-high 33 kills and seven total blocks. He
finished the season with 412 kills ranking him second on the
school's single-season list, just shy of his own record of 457 set
last season, and finished his four-year career with 1,482.
Junior David Lloyd (Germantown/Seneca Valley)
had a match-high 16 digs while adding eight kills. He was one three
Mustangs with eight kills, joining senior Steve Grossnickle
(Perry Hall/Calvert Hall) and sophomore Jason
Matkowski (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent).
Freshman Dean Massimini (Washington Township,
N.J./Washington Township) finished with 35 assists and six
digs.
Stevenson advanced to the championship match with a win in
its second, five-game thriller against New Jersey
City. The Mustangs' 31-29, 27-30, 30-22, 27-30,
15-12 semifinal win gave them a four-game season split
with the Gothic Knights.
NJCU swept the first meeting at home on February 7
before Stevenson returned the favor with a 3-1 win at Student Union
Gymnasium on February 21. The two teams then met in the opening
match of the York (N.Y.) Classic on March 13 which the Gothic
Knights won in five despite having to forfeit the first game 30-0
after arriving late.
Jackson led four players with at least 10 kills as Matkowski had
13 along with 13 digs for his seventh double double this year.
Matkowski was one of three players with a double double as
Grossnickle totaled 11 kills and 20 digs while Lloyd added 10 kills
and 18 digs.
Leading the way defensively was senior Anthony Cammarata
(Fallston/Calvert Hall) who had a career-high 28 digs,
surpassing the 24 he had versus the City College of New York on
March 15, 2008.
Massimini was also in double figures with 10 digs to go along
with a career-high 61 assists. His previous high was 52 set at SUNY
IT on March 1 and the previous team season-high was 57 set by
Cammarata versus Baruch on January 30.
Senior Ryan McDowell (Germantown/Seneca
Valley), the school's career leader in total blocks,
finished with eight kills and six digs.
