SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Arcadia University went 1-1 in a tri-match at Springfield College Saturday, defeating SUNY Poly 3-1 before falling to the host Pride 3-0. Springfield is ranked No. 1 in this week's AVCA Coaches' Poll, receiving 16 of 17 first-place votes.
FOR THE RECORD: The Knights record moved to 5-5 after splitting today's action. Springfield improved to 10-1 with their win over Arcadia, while SUNY Poly dropped to 7-5 following its loss to Arcadia.
ARCADIA 3, SUNY POLY 1 (19-25, 25-23, 25-23, 28-26)
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Wildcats were victorious in the opening game 25-19 after starting it off with a 5-1 run before another 5-1 surge put them up 22-13. The Knights trailed in the second game 23-20 before scoring five unanswered points to secure a 25-23 win to tie the match at 1-1, and replicated that feat in the third as they scored four unanswered to close that game with another 25-23 win.
A late four-point run in the fourth game put Arcadia up 24-22, but SUNY Poly answered with three in a row to go up 25-24. The Knights were down 26-25 before freshman
Jason Manley started a 3-0 run with a kill to close out a 28-26 win for Arcadia that gave it a 3-1 victory in the match.
ARCADIA LEADERS: Manley totaled 12 kills, seven blocks and eight digs to lead the Knights, while fellow freshman
Bryce Galloway added six kills, five blocks and eight digs. Freshman
Robie Moctezuma hit .455 with five kills on 11 swings while totaling six blocks. Senior
Sean Cohen handed out 28 assists with five blocks and three digs.
SUNY POLY LEADERS: Max Szuba led the Wildcats with a match-high 17 kills and eight digs, while Ryan Gloff hit .300 with 15 kills and six errors on 30 attempts. Nick Hagen hit .533 with eight kills on 15 swings, while Zach Goggin dished out a match-high 51 assists with three kills and six digs.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: In a reversal from last night's 3-2 loss at St. Joseph's (L.I.), the Knights recorded a win despite being outscored 72-57 and hitting just .088 for the match. The Wildcats had a 61-30 advantage in kills, while Arcadia held a 20-5 advantage in blocks.
No. 1 SPRINGFIELD 3, ARCADIA 0 (12-25, 19-25, 16-25)
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Pride hit .474 in the match with 33 kills and just six attack errors on their 57 total attempts on their way to their 10th consecutive win. Springfield's only loss was a 3-2 decision at Hope International to open the season January 13. The Knights hit 0.38 for the match, totaling 19 kills with 17 attack errors on 53 attempts.
ARCADIA LEADERS: Manley led the Knights with eight kills, two service aces and four digs, while freshman
Austin Braas hit .400 with five kills and one error on 10 attempts. Cohen had 17 assists with two digs.
SPRINGFIELD LEADERS: Sergio Figueroa Velez hit .625 with 10 kills on 16 attempts while totaling four aces and four blocks to lead the Pride. Jason Weedon hit .353 with eight kills and two errors on 17 attempts, while Mike Neary handed out 28 assists with four blocks.
