POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Stevenson University men's volleyball team split a pair of matches at the Vassar Invitational on Friday evening.  The Mustangs avenged a loss to Ramapo last weekend by defeating the Roadrunners 3-1, then fell to the host and eighth-ranked Brewers by a 3-1 score.

Against Ramapo (7-2), Stevenson (8-6) dropped the first set 25-23 then won by scores of 25-19, 25-12 and 25-21.

Sophomore Landon Shorts finished with 18 kills on .389 hitting against the Roadrunners, while classmate Jason Gardner notched 12 kills on .500 hitting to go along with eight digs.  Junior Alex Klunk posted nine kills, hitting at .500, while senior Michael Fehrs recorded seven kills and seven digs.  Senior Nate Ellis added seven kills.  Freshman Derek Tangorra registered eight digs, and senior Kyle Johnson handed out 45 assists and notched six digs as the Mustangs hit .386, their second-best effort of the season.

The first set was tied 19-19 when Ramapo scored two straight points to go up 21-19.  The two teams traded the next eight points, with Stevenson pulling within 24-23 on a Roadrunner attack error, but a Stevenson setting error gave the first set to Ramapo.  In the second set, the Mustangs trailed 6-5 before a Shorts kill and three straight Ramapo attack errors gave Stevenson a 9-6 lead.  Ramapo, which trailed by as many as six, pulled within 22-19 late before back-to-back Klunk kills and a Roadrunner error tied the match 1-1.

Stevenson trailed just once in the third set and used six straight points early to build a 7-2 lead following a Shorts service ace.  From there the Mustangs cruised to an easy win in the frame capped by a Gardner kill.  In the fourth, Stevenson trailed 13-9 but used a 5-1 run capped by back-to-back Shorts kills to tie the set 14-14.  Leading 22-21, the Mustangs recorded the last three points of the match, with kills by Ellis and Shorts ending it.

In the second match of the night, Vassar (9-5) prevailed by scores of 25-21, 25-17, 26-24, 25-13.

Shorts and Fehrs led Stevenson with nine kills apiece in the nightcap, with Gardner posting eight.  Tangorra had a team-high seven digs, while Johnson handed out 27 assists.

In the opening set, Stevenson trailed 21-19 when back-to-back Brewer points made it a four-point contest.  The Mustangs got kills from Gardner and Fehrs down the stretch but got no closer than three.  Vassar trailed 9-7 in the second when it recorded four straight points to take an 11-9 lead, and from there the hosts gradually pulled away to take a 2-0 lead.

Vassar trailed by as many as four in the third set but stormed back to tie the set 24-24 as it looked to put away the match, but a service error and a block by Klunk allowed the Mustangs to stay alive.  The Brewers posted the first five points of the fourth set and never trailed, opening a 12-2 lead as it cruised to clinch the win.

The hosts hit at least .323 in each set and hit .414 for the match while Stevenson hit at just an .066 clip.  The strong hitting allowed Vassar to overcome 24 service errors, and the Brewers also had a total of 10 blocks.

Stevenson returns to action Saturday when it faces Mount Saint Vincent at 11:00 am at Vassar.