OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Stevenson University men's volleyball team begins its run in the 2023 Middle Atlantic Conference playoffs on Tuesday night as the fourth-seeded Mustangs host fifth-seeded Misericordia University at 7.
The winner makes a trip to Hoboken, N.J., to take on top-seeded and nationally-ranked Stevens on Thursday. The championship is set for Saturday at the highest remaining seed.
Stevenson (12-16, 6-3 Middle Atlantic Conference) played the Cougars back on Saturday, March 25, at Messiah, getting a 3-0 win. Misericordia (14-21, 5-4 Middle Atlantic Conference) joins Stevenson in playing a tough schedule, as both have played over 10 nationally-ranked teams.
Stevenson is led by Ryan Thenell with 288 kills which is third best in the conference, while Michael Dougherty has 284 digs defensively which leads the MAC. Justin Novoa has 618 assists, with Elliott De La Torre has 72 blocks. Aiden O'Brien has a .353 hitting percentage, one of three players with a .300 or above hitting percentage.
For Misericordia, Anthony DePalma leads the Cougars and is second in the MAC with 3.8 kills per set. Gannon DeFrain is seventh in the league with 5.91 assists per set and Joe Kozak is 10th with 0.39 aces per set. Alex Furlong is second in the league with 2.23 digs per set.
