UNION, NJ - The Arcadia University men's volleyball team split against two nationally-ranked opponents at the Clash at Kean. The Knights narrowly dropped their opening contest versus #6 Benedictine College, 3-1, but bounced back with a thrilling 3-1 victory over #12 Elms College.
Quinn Baily led the afternoon with a combined 21 kills, while
Jason Manley tallied 20 kills at the Clash at Kean.
Austin Braas also had a strong offensive performance, tallying 18 kills with a .455 hitting percentage on the afternoon.
Anthony Devantier was Arcadia's assists leader in both contests, combining for 81 assists.
Robie Moctezuma dominated the defensive side with 14 total blocks on the afternoon, while
Jarod Pichler collected a team-high 21 digs.
#6 Benedictine University 3, #10 Arcadia University 1
- The Knights dropped the opening set 25-21 in a tightly-contested game. Arcadia took a 14-13 lead midway through the set, but surrendered four-straight points, which allowed Benedictine to distance themselves.
- Trailing 22-17 in the second set, the Knights clawed back into the game with a 4-0 rally. However, Benedictine rallied off three of the last four points to clinch a 25-22 set victory.
- With their backs against the wall, the Knights remained alive with a 25-17 victory in the third set. Arcadia gained momentum midway through the set with a 10-1 run, which gave the squad a 16-10 lead. Baily tallied two kills during the team's nine-point swing, while Devantier added a couple service aces.
- Benedictine claimed victory with a 25-21 final in the fourth set. The Eagles' run was sparked by a 6-3 rally midway through the stanza.
KNIGHT LEADERS
Kills: Manley 11, Baily 9
Aces: Devantier 3
Blocks: Moctezuma 8
Assists: Devantier 33
Digs: Pichler 13
#10 Arcadia University 3, #12 Elms College 1
- The Knights came out on top in a 33-31 battle to claim the first set. Arcadia put together a 4-1 run, which featured kills from four different players, late in the opening set to tie the game at 22-22. The squad later claimed victory after consecutive Blazer errors.
- Arcadia took a two-set advantage with a back-and-forth 32-30 victory in the second set. The Knights dominated play early with a 10-6 run to open the stanza, but the Blazers responded with a 7-1 rally to tie the game, 11-11. After several back-and-forth rallies, the Knights went on to clinch the second set on three consecutive Blazer attack errors.
- Elms kept their hopes alive with a 26-24 victory in the third set. The Blazers got off to a hot start with a 10-1 run to open a must-win set, but the Knights clawed back into the contest with a 20-11 rally to force the first tie since the set was knotted at 1-1. Elms closed out the set with a kill and a service ace to prolong play.
- Much like the previous three sets, the fourth set was another barn burner. The stanza was tightly-contested the entire way with neither team scoring more than three consecutive points. Arcadia claimed victory with a 25-23 win after kills from Pichler and Manley to close the match.
KNIGHT LEADERS
Kills: Pichler/Braas/Baily 12
Aces: Zimmerman 3
Blocks: Moctezuma 6
Assists: Devantier 48
Digs: Zayne 13
UP NEXT
The #10 Knights (1-1) play their home opener versus NYU on Thursday at 7:00 PM.
