ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Eastern University Men's Volleyball claimed a three-set win over Neumann iin the team's final non-league game of the season. Eastern (9-5) hit .281 in the match.
How It Happened:
With a flurry of news about college athletics swirling, the match got off to a quiet start. The Eagles led 15-2 and built the lead to 22-7 before the Knights scored a point on serve.
Foster Lobb had five of his match-best 11 kills in the first set.
Justin Flor had seven digs as the Eagles hit .312 and held the Knights to .086 hitting in the 25-9 win.
Noah Westbrook served the Eagles to a 6-1 edge in the second set. The Knights pulled to within two points at 12-10, but
Gabe Perez served three points in a row and Westbrook added six more service points to build the Eastern edge to 23-11. Flor had five kills in the set and Westbrook served for three aces and the Eagles won 25-12.
The Eagles gave up a five-point run to trail 15-13 in the third.
Joon Jeong came on to serve after a
Samuel Christie kill and the Eagles tied the set at 15-15. The teams traded points and were tied at 19-19 when Westbrook served for two points for a 21-19 edge. The eagles would hold that lead for a 25-23 decision in the final set.
Perez had six kills in the third and finished with eight for the match.
The Eagles finished with five blocks, but with Christie, Flor and
Kiriam Yordan at the net, the Knights had very few clean looks at the floor.
Lopez and Flor again split setting duties. Lopez had 17 assists and Flor finished with 14 assists and a match-best 15 digs.
Coach Syracuse Says:
"After a full week off to heal and rest tonight's test helped us solidify a lineup question that had been haunting me for a bit. The addition of Gabe paid immediate dividends when he had a huge stuff block of the first play of the match. He had a few solid swings but still requires some work to get back up to game speed after not having played since the fall."
Though the stats may not have reflected it Trey Miller did an awesome job of keeping the back row organized and working together when Neumann was forced to dump, tip and set balls over from all over the court,
"We again worked on our block this week and it paid off with a number of stuff block and soft block allowing us to score in transition."
"Noah Westbrook changed the game at the service line again with great placement of the serves and movement on the ball resulting in numerous aces and free ball opportunities for us. He had the hit of the night in the second set when he bounced a transition quick set at the eight-foot line ond over the defender's head."
"All of that said, Kiriam was voted SVPOD (Sweater vest player of the day) He was solid with his blocking and scored points at the service line as he returned to MB after a few games at right side and overcoming an injury. Darren and Justin continue to grow in their setting ability and understanding of the position. Their progress in a new position has been amazing."
Up Next:
The Eagles are at Alvernia on Saturday. With Widener canceling their season, that match is now scheduled for 11 am.
