Box Score OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The 11th-ranked Stevenson men's volleyball team (15-6, 6-0 MAC) defeated Alvernia (9-7, 4-3 MAC) Wednesday evening at Owings Mills Gymnasium to remain unbeaten in MAC conference play. Set Scores were 25-17, 25-22 and 25-13.
Alvernia and Stevenson battled through four tie scores early in the first set but with only one lead change, the Mustangs lead for much of the frame. Stevenson fell behind early but a crafty kill from Justin Novoa would notch the set at four a-piece. The kill was part of an 8-2 Mustang run which was capped off by a block assist from Novoa and Elliot De La Torre to give Stevenson a 9-6 advantage.
The Golden Wolves continued to stay within earshot of the Mustangs until Stevenson rattled off an 8-1 run sparked by a kill from De La Torre and included a block assist from Aidan O'Brien and Tim Flanagan. Stevenson would add one more four-point run in the set before Tanner Stauffer sent down a kill to take the frame at 17-25.
The second set saw a battle between two unrelenting sides and included 12 tie scores and only two lead changes. Alvernia screamed to a 6-3 lead, taking advantage of some Stevenson attack errors while also adding a service ace from Brian Rea. Tim Flanagan was able to momentarily halt the momentum with a kill at the 6-4 mark.
Alvernia continued to keep Stevenson at bay, jumping to a 13-9 advantage with back-to-back kills from Rea and a service ace from Ethyn Burczyk. Stevenson responded with a four-point run to notch the frame at 13 a-piece, the first tie score of the set since the 9-9 point.
The two sides traded points to the 20-20 point before Tim Flanagan could send down a kill followed by an Alvernia attack error to give the Mustangs a slight advantage at 22-20. However, the thin margin is all the Mustangs would need to hold the momentum in their favor. Aleks Melbardis added a kill for Stevenson at the 21-23 mark before Aidan O'Brien sealed the set for Stevenson with a kill of his own.
The third set was played in almost opposite fashion of the second set with only one tie and one lead change. Stevenson hauled out a five-point run followed by a six-point run to carve a 5-13 advantage. O'Brien, Melbardis, Flanagan and Tanner Stauffer all tallied kills in the effort while O'Brien and Stauffer added a block assist.
Stevenson would add a seven-point run aided by block assists from Melbardis and De La Torre as well as three straight aces from Tanner Stauffer. Senior Tyler Aiello earned the final tally to give the Mustangs the 25-13 set victory.
Numbers and Notes
- The Mustangs tallied double-digit blocks for the 11th time this season (14 tonight).
- Justin Novoa added 31 assists to bring his season tally to 538.
- Tanner Stauffer sent down nine kills in his 13 attempts for a .615 hit percentage and added three service aces.
What's Next
The Mustangs remain at home to face No. 4 Vassar Thursday March 17 at 6pm.
