Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 ROCHESTER, NY – Facing one of its toughest weekends of the season, the Johnson & Wales University men's volleyball team nearly pulled off a big upset on day one of Golden Flyer Invitational, hosting by Nazareth College. JWU nearly pulled off the comeback before dropping a 3-2 (14-25, 25-16, 26-28, 25-21, 9-15) decision to 15th-ranked Juniata. The Wildcats fell 3-0 (22-25, 15-25, 24-26) to second-ranked SUNY New Paltz in their second match.
JWU Record: 3-3
Statistical Leaders:
Brendan Baker: 20 kills, 10 digs vs. Juniata
Cameron Ponce: 37 assists vs. Juniata
Kanila Chang: 11 kills vs. Juniata
Of Note:
For the first time this season the Wildcats had to go to a fifth set. Up 26-25, JWU had a chance to take the third set but a kill by the Eagles and a Wildcat error gave JC the 2-1 lead in the match. JWU won the fourth set, but dug too big of a hole to start the fifth. Juniata had a .208-to-.147 hitting advantage.
Brendan Baker (Providence, RI) topped 20 kills for the second time this season with 20 winners to go along with a team-high 10 digs for the double-double.
Kanila Chang (Orlando, Fla.) added 11 kills and freshman
Zach Turner (Coventry, RI) produced seven kills and five blocks. Setter
Cameron Ponce (San Jose, Calif.) notched 37 assists.
A Baker block and kill from Kyle MacKnight (East Northport, NY) tied the third set at 24-24. Unfortunately, t#2 New Paltz won the match thanks to a JWU blocking error and a kill. Chang had seven kills and seven digs. The Hawks had a .271-to-.099 hitting advantage as well as a 44-25 margin for assists.
Up Next:
The Golden Flyer Invitational concludes on Saturday when JWU takes on host #10 Nazareth at 11 a.m. followed by a 3 p.m. match with Elmira.
