Men's Volleyball: #15 Raiders split season opening tri-match

(Nashua, N.H.) The #15 Rivier University Men's Volleyball team began their 2017 campaign this evening as they hosted both #1 Springfield College and Endicott College in the season-opening Tri-Match inside the Muldoon Gymnasium. The Raiders battled for the first two sets but ultimately lost to #1 Springfield, 3-0 before ending the night with a 3-0 win over Endicott. The Pride also swept the Gulls in straight sets in the evening middle match.

Rivier is now 1-1 while the Pride move to 3-1 and Endicott falls to 1-4.

Game One: #1 Springfield College 3, #15 Rivier University 0 (Final)

The opening match featured a pair of squads who were ranked in the American Coaches Association Pre-Season Top 15 as the #1 Springfield College Pride bested the #15 Rivier University Raiders in straight sets by scores of 25-20, 25-23 and 25-8.

After falling in the first set, the Raiders had an opportunity to steal the second set as they found themselves tied with the Pride at 23. However a pair of errors gave Springfield the two points they needed to win the set as they rolled to a sweep.

Senior Ian Wolski (Westfield, Mass.) registered a .435 hitting percentage with 11 kills as he supplied most of the Raider offense in the game. Senior setter Tyler Blank (Rochester, N.Y.) dished out 19 assists and junior Garrett Bucklin (Jamestown, R.I.) collected 10 digs. Freshman Francis Kokoros (Braintree, Mass.) had a solid collegiate debut as he totaled four kills and a .333 hitting percentage.

Springfield was paced by sophomore Kyle Jasuta (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) who had nine kills and a .727 hitting percentage. Senior Sean Zuvich (San Pedro, Calif.) also totaled nine kills - .368 hitting % - and sophomore Jonathan Rodriguez Lopez (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) swung at a .750 clip with six kills on the night. Senior Luis Garcia Rubio (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) was the assist leader with 32 and sophomore Eli Irizarry Pares (San Juan, Puerto Rico) kept the back line solid with 12 digs.

Game Two: #1 Springfield College 3, Endicott College 0 (Final)

Springfield would make it a complete sweep as the used the win over Rivier into a straight set triumph over Endicott College by scores of 25-13, 25-15 and 25-12.

Junior Sergio Figueroa Velez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) finished the match with the most kills for Springfield as he knocked down seven kills while collecting four digs and Rodriguez Lopez added another six kills in his solid effort on the evening. Garcia Rubio netted another 33 assists and Pares totaled a team-high six digs along the back line.

Endicott's offensive effort was paced by the trio of junior Troy Riorden (Fairport, N.Y.), sophomore Jeremy Doski (Sandy Hook, Conn.) and freshman Bryn Lipton (Rockford, Ill.) who each had five kills. Sophomore setter Devin Racey (Voorheesville, N.Y.) passed out eleven helpers in the contest with classmate Adam Dake (Victor, N.Y.) obtaining seven digs.

Game Three: #15 Rivier University 3, Endicott College 0 (Final)

The Raiders earned their first win of the season with a straight set sweep of the visiting Gulls by scores of 25-20, 26-24 and 25-20.

Junior Grant Andler (Chicago, Ill.) powered the Rivier offense with 15 kills and a .333 hitting percentage to go along with his one block solo. Freshman Cam Roth (Coventry, R.I.) swung at a .381 clip to the tune of 10 kills and Wolski finished with 11 on the night. Blank reached the 40+ assist plateau with 41 helpers and Bucklin paved the defensive effort with eleven digs.

Endicott's Lipton was the team's kill leader with seven in the match with both Doksi and Riorden chipping in with five apiece. Racey dished out 15 assists and freshman Chad Riorden (Fairport, N.Y.) handed out 12 in the dual setting effort while Dake collected six digs.

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Next up for Rivier will be at the Kean University Invitational next weekend. They will battle with #10 Kean on Friday night before taking on Hunter and #8 Vassar on Saturday.