#11 Men's Volleyball taken down at home against #5 Springfield in four sets

(Nashua, N.H.) The Rivier Men's Volleyball team was defeated by the visiting Springfield College Pride this evening in a non-conference matchup at the Muldoon Gymnasium. With the loss, the Raiders drop to 3-4 on the year. With the win, the Pride improve their record to 6-5.

The first set was very exciting and filled with lots of emotion. From the first serve, the Pride of Springfield College, were on their feet, bringing a loud and supportive group with them. The volume in which the players played with in this one might have been the difference. With every defensive stand, and every offensive strike, the Pride, with their tenacity, never let the Raiders get comfortable. The Raiders came out a bit flat in the set and their play reflected that, dropping the first set 25-14.

The second set had a much different feel to it. After a slow start, the Raiders seemed to find their groove, taking a 3-1 lead and finally silencing the rowdy Springfield bench. But, before Rivier could gain any more ground, the Pride came back fighting. Quickly regaining the lead 7-3. Despite surrendering the lead, Rivier did not give up. Using some rather rowdy support from the bench, the Raiders were not only able to come back from their 7-3 deficit, but they were also able to gain the lead 19-18, shifting the pressure back onto the Pride. Although Springfield attempted to overcome the Rivier onslaught, their efforts were not enough as Rivier shut them down, taking the set 25-21.

The third set was a very close matchup. The Raiders found a rhythm and took it to the Pride. Where most teams would have cracked under the pressure, the Pride did the opposite. With every serve, it was clear to see that these two squads were very evenly matched. In fact, both teams went point for point up until the very end. Tied at 22, the Raiders needed to dig deep and put together a strong stand in order to take the set. Unfortunately, the Pride had other plans, scoring 3 straight to take the set 25-22, and the overall lead 2 sets to 1.

The fourth set was a very crucial one for the Raiders. If they couldn't find a way past the intense Pride, they faced the danger of dropping the match 3-1. Unfortunately for the Raiders, Springfield was just too much for them in this one. For every attack Rivier had, Springfield had an answer. Rivier, down 24-22, used a series of excellent offensive attacks tie the game at 25. Unfortunately for the Raiders, their efforts were stomped out as they lost the set 27-25. Ultimately, the Pride played well for the majority of the night, taking the set and the match 3 sets to 1.

Rivier had good performances turned in by Chris Markuson (Cupertino, Calif.) who was able to lead the Raiders with 16 kills. Sam Kazlas (Allentown, Pa.) was second to Markuson on the team with 12 kills. Tyler Blank was the set-up man for the Raiders, recording 36 assists.

Springfield had good performances turned in by Angel Perez (Naranjito, Puerto Rico) who was able to record an impressive 21 kills. Ryan Malone (Chicopee, Mass.) added an additional 7 kills while Jason Mascoe (Uniondale, N.Y.) was able to add another 8 kills. Eric Johnson (Tustin, Calif.) recorded 36 assists for the Pride.

For their next contest, the Rivier Men's Volleyball team will host Emmanuel College, Wednesday February 18^th at 7:00pm in a GNAC matchup. For the Springfield College Pride, the will next host Hunter on Saturday, February 14^th at 8:00pm.