ERIE, Pa. – Sophomore Ryan Thenell recorded a career-high 18 kills as the Stevenson men's volleyball team (1-0) defeated Penn State Behrend (0-1) in straight sets Thursday evening in the 2023 season opener for both teams. Set scores were 25-21, 25-19 and 26-24.
 
The Mustangs, who are receiving votes in the latest AVCA coaches' poll, started the first set ablaze leading wire-to-wire and hitting .533 in the frame. Stevenson took the first four points of the match and sprinted to a 12-5 lead, aided by four kills and an ace from Ryan Thenell in the stretch. The sides traded points until Stevenson could tally back-to-back points including a kill from Brian Farrell for a 20-13 lead. The Lions narrowed the gap to 22-18 with a 5-2 run but Stevenson fended off the surge, eventually winning the opening fram 25-21 with a kill from Thenell.
 
The second set was tightly contested with 10 tie scores and five lead changes. The Mustangs gained ground with a five-point run to take a 19-13 lead with killd from Ryan Thenell, Brian Farrell and Elliot De La Torre. The Lions used a 5-2 run to narrow the gap to 22-19 but the Mustangs closed the set with a three point run which included a block from the duo of Jack Braverman and Elliot De La Torre and capped by an ace from Doug Hines.
 
The final stanza saw nine tie scores and two lead changes as Stevenson hit .231 and held PSU-Behrend to a .120 hit percentage. The Mustangs hauled to a 10-7 lead before the Lions used a three-point run to knot the set at 10 a-piece. Stevenson took a 7-2 run to take a 17-12 lead with blocks from the pair of De La Torre and Thenell and De La Torre and Jack Braverman. Stevenson leveraged a 20-15 lead before the Lions embarked on a 6-0 run to take a 20-21 lead. The sides traded points to a 23-24 PSU-Behrend lead before the Mustangs capped the match with a 3-0 run finished off with a kill from Braverman and an ace from Thenell.
 
Numbers and Notes

• Ryan Thenell lead the match in kills (18), digs (9) and aces (2) while hitting .464.
• Elliot De La Torre totaled a match-best five blocks.
• Justin Novoa dished out 35 assists.
• Jack Braverman sent down seven kills in his Stevenson debut and hit 1.000.
• With the victory, Aldis Berzins is now tied for most wins as Stevenson men's volleyball head coach (118, Jeff Blake).

 What's Next

• Stevenson continues its road trip to face Mount Union on Friday, January 20 at 7pm.