Men's Volleyball: Raiders dropped by No. 1 ranked Hawks, 1-3.

Story written and posted by Hayden Barbosa, Rivier University Assistant Sports Information Director

(Nashua, N.H.) The Rivier University Raiders were defeated by the State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team on Saturday night 1-3 (20-25, 25-14, 25-20, 25-15, 25-23) at the International Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts.

All but three sets were kept within a 5-point margin against the No. 1 ranked team in the country, demonstrating just how competitive the Raiders are.  The first set proved to be the most potent as the Raiders kept the score line tight.  However, it was when the score board read 19-19 the Raiders turned it up.  With some hard-nosed defense, a series of kills from seniors Francis Kokoros (Braintree, Mass) and David Smith (Clinton, OH) and an attack error committed by the Hawks the Raiders took the first set.  

The Raiders attack was led by Smith with 12 kills and an ace. Kokoros hammered down nine kills on 16 attempts hitting at .438 and collected four blocks and a couple aces. Sophomore Sokunbuth Ly (Lowell, Mass) chipped in seven kills and an ace.  Senior setter Pedro Campos (Downey, Cali.) facilitated 27 assists two aces and three blocks.

The Raiders defense was quite impressive as they edged out the Hawks in blocks 14-6 and collectively earned an impressive 21 digs. 

The Raiders return to Nashua, N.H. with two losses, however walk away on a couple high notes.  Campos currently leads the Great Northeast Athletic Conference in assists per set at 9.6 and Kokoros leads the conference in service aces per set at .89.

Up next will be the Raiders first GNAC contest against the Saints of Emmanuel College (3-5 overall, 0-1 GNAC).  The match will be hosted by the Saint in Boston, Mass on Thursday at 7PM.