ALBANY, N.Y. – The Arcadia University men's volleyball team earned its first win of the season on Saturday at Russell Sage College, defeating the host Gators in four sets before falling in five sets to SUNY Polytechnic Institute in a tri-match. The Knights (1-5) topped Russell Sage by scores of 25-27, 25-18, 28-26, and 25-17, before dropping a tightly contested five-set match to SUNY Polytechnic, 25-22, 26-24, 27-25, 25-21, and 15-6.

Arcadia was led offensively on the day by Tucker Curtis, who totaled 31 kills across both matches. Josh Clendening added five service aces, Reece Dodd recorded 10 blocks, Riley Kodidek dished out 88 assists, and Kodidek also collected 25 digs between the two contests.

GAME ONE
Arcadia 3 – Russell Sage 1

HOW IT HAPPENED

SET ONE: Arcadia 25 – Russell Sage 27

• Arcadia jumped out to an early 2-0 lead following a service error and a block by Tucker Curtis and Pete Smith.
• The teams traded points throughout the set, with the Knights capitalizing on Russell Sage errors. Kills from Pete Smith and Josh Clendening helped fuel a 5-1 run that gave the Gators a 16-15 lead.
• A kill from Cameron Birch and a pair of blocks from Reece Dodd and Riley Kodidek put Arcadia back in front, 21-18.
• Clendening's kill tied the set at 24-24, and a Sage error knotted it again at 25-25, but a kill and a Knights error secured the opening set for the Gators.

SET TWO: Arcadia 25 – Russell Sage 18

• Curtis and Smith teamed up for an early block to get Arcadia on the board in the second set.
• With the score tied at 11-11, Birch slammed a kill followed by back-to-back service aces from Clendening to spark a 4-0 run.
• Kills from Clendening and Curtis pushed the lead to 19-13. Arcadia was the first to reach 20 points, and additional kills from Clendening, Birch, and Smith closed out the set to even the match.

SET THREE: Arcadia 28 – Russell Sage 26

• The Knights found their offensive rhythm early, as Curtis, Luka Erickson, and Clendening delivered kills to open a 5-2 lead.
• Curtis added two more kills, and a kill from Kodidek extended the advantage to 14-8.
• Russell Sage responded with a 6-1 run to cut the lead to 16-15. The teams traded points until the Gators took a 24-22 edge.
• Arcadia answered with a 3-0 run, highlighted by kills from Birch and Curtis, to regain the lead at 25-24.
• After the Gators earned two set points, Clendending recorded a kill and Jayden Wacaster followed with back-to-back service aces to secure the 28-26 win.

SET FOUR: Arcadia 25 – Russell Sage 17

• Luka Erickson and Harrison McCleery opened the set with consecutive kills to give Arcadia a quick 2-0 lead.
• Dodd, McCleery, Curtis, Erickson, and Clendening continued to collect kills as the Knights built a 12-9 advantage.
• A 3-0 run, capped by a Curtis kill and a solo block from Dodd, pushed the lead further.
• A final block from Erickson and kills from Curtis, Clendening, and Dodd closed out the set and secured Arcadia's first win of the season.

KNIGHT LEADERS

Kills: Curtis (18), Clendening (13), Birch (6)
Aces: Clendening (4), Wacaster (2), Smith (1)
Blocks: Dodd (4), Curtis (3), Kodidek (2)
Assists: Kodidek (44), John Valencia (3), Birch (2)
Digs: Kodidek (11), Valencia (9), Curtis (8)

GAME TWO
Arcadia 2 – SUNY Polytechnic 3

HOW IT HAPPENED

SET ONE: Arcadia 25 – SUNY Polytechnic 22

• Kodidek opened the match with a service ace, followed by kills from Clendening and Erickson.
• Three straight errors by the Wildcats gave Arcadia a 6-4 lead.
• After SUNY Polytechnic took a 21-18 advantage, kills from Harrison McCleery sparked a 7-1 run to close the set in Arcadia's favor.

SET TWO: Arcadia 26 – SUNY Polytechnic 24

• Erickson opened the scoring, and the teams traded points early.
• Trailing 17-16, Clendening ignited a 3-0 run with a kill, followed by an ace from Erickson and a kill from McCleery.
• A kill from Dodd gave Arcadia a 20-18 lead, and additional kills from Clendening, Kodidek, and Curtis secured the set.

SET THREE: Arcadia 25 – SUNY Polytechnic 27

• Despite early kills from Clendening and Dodd, the Wildcats jumped out to a 6-3 lead.
• Kills from Erickson and Curtis, along with a Kodidek ace, tied the set at 9-9.
• Curtis tied the score again at 19-19 before SUNY Polytechnic went on a 3-0 run.
• Facing set point, Arcadia responded with a 4-0 run, highlighted by a Dodd kill and blocks from Dodd and Curtis, but the Wildcats scored three straight points to take the set.

SET FOUR: Arcadia 21 – SUNY Polytechnic 25

• Erickson opened the set with a kill, but the Wildcats followed with a 6-0 run.
• Kills from Clendening and Erickson helped Arcadia respond, and a kill from Jayden Wacaster paired with a block from Kodidek and Dodd cut the deficit to 9-7.
• SUNY Polytechnic used a 5-1 run to build an 18-13 lead and held off a late Knights push to force a fifth set.

SET FIVE: Arcadia 6 – SUNY Polytechnic 15

• Curtis recorded the opening kill and added an ace to give Arcadia an early 2-1 lead.
• A final kill from Cameron Birch followed, but SUNY Polytechnic closed the match with a 13-3 run to take the deciding set.

KNIGHT LEADERS

Kills: Clendening (14), Curtis (13), Erickson (12)
Aces: Kodidek (2), Clendening (1), Wacaster (1)
Blocks: Dodd (6), Kodidek (5), Curtis (4)
Assists: Kodidek (44), Birch (3), Wacaster (2)
Digs: Kodidek (14), Curtis (12), Birch (10)

UP NEXT

The Knights return home on Thursday, February 12, when Wilson College visits Glenside for a nonconference match at 6 p.m.

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