Spellman, Raiders slide past Wildcats 3-1

(Providence, RI) The Rivier University Men's Volleyball team captured their first Great Northeast Athletic Conference win of the season as the defeated Johnson and Wales University, 3-1 inside the Wildcat Center on Wednesday evening.

Rivier posted a 25-22 win in game one before Johnson & Wales rallied to knot the match at 1-1 with a 25-22 win in the second game. The third game saw Rivier with the 25-18 win and the Raiders closed out the match with a 25-23 win in the fourth and deciding game to take the 3-1 victory.

Rivier was paced by sophomore Chris Markuson (Cupertino, Calif.) with 16 kills and 11 digs while sophomore Shane Spellman (Norwich, Conn.) added 10 kills and seven digs. Junior Terrence Matatall (Danville, NH) and sophomore Sam Kazlas (Allentown. PA) each added 10 kills and senior Steve Visentin (Cheshire, Conn.) recorded 43 set assists in the win for the Raiders.

Johnson & Wales was led by junior Dan Struebing (Coventry, R.I.) with 15 kills and six blocks while junior Shawn Kennedy (West Barnstable, Mass.) added 12 kills and seven digs. Sophomore J.J. Bessette (Coventry, R.I.) tallied 38 set assists in the setback for the Wildcats.

With the win Rivier improves to 3-3 overall and 1-0 in league play while Johnson & Wales falls to 3-2 for the season and 2-2 in the GNAC while  The Raiders will return to action on Saturday-Sunday, February 16-17 when they travel to the MIT Invitational.