Men’s Volleyball Downs MIT, Stumbles to New Paltz

CAMBRIDGE, MA: Rivier men's volleyball split the day with a loss to SUNY New Paltz and a victory against MIT in non-conference action.

THE BASICS:

- Date: 3/4/23

- Score: New Paltz 3, Rivier 1 (25-20, 16-25, 20-25, 18-25). Rivier 3, MIT 1 (25-23, 26-24, 20-25, 25-22)

- Records: New Paltz (15-6), Rivier (8-8), MIT (9-7)

HOW IT HAPPENED: Match One

-  The Raiders took the first set from the Hawks on a 12 to ten kill difference. New Paltz would bounce back after the first set to take the next three to get the win. The Hawks would outhit Rivier .337 to .139 throughout the contest.

- New Paltz was led by Pat Wing, who finished with 12 kills. Kyle Shaffer dished out 28 assists to go along with four kills and six digs.

- Jack Normandin (Clifton Park, NY) played in his first match of the season and instantly made an impact for the team. He topped the team with 12 kills. Neil Rea (Windham, NH) set in this one, tying the game-high with 28 assists.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

-  Kills: New Paltz 49, Rivier 41

-  Assists: New Paltz 47, Rivier 38

-  Digs: New Paltz 34, Rivier 26

HOW IT HAPPENED: Match Two

-  The Raiders rebounded quickly from New Paltz and took the first two sets against MIT. Rivier was outhit between the two sets but kept the errors at a minimum compared to MIT, who had nine in the first set and seven in the second. The Engineers played a clean third to gain a setback on the Raiders, bringing it to 2-1. Rivier would hold on in the fourth to take it on their best offensive performance of the match with 16 kills and a .458 kill percentage to MIT's 11 kills and .250 kill percentage.

-  For the Raiders, Chris Lezon (Lincoln, RI) and Isaac Borges (New Boston, NH) led the offense with 13 kills each. Ethan Soltis (Massillon, OH) had a match-high 47 assists to go along with another match-high eight digs.

- For the Engineers, Michael Rini topped the team with ten kills. Troy Oliveira and Grant Oh finished just behind him with nine kills each. Riley Oh dished out 25 assists topping the team.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

-  Kills: Rivier 53, MIT 52

-  Assists: Rivier 51, MIT 49

-  Digs: Rivier 33, MIT 18

UP NEXT:

- Rivier men's volleyball will travel to AIC next Tuesday for a 7:00 pm start.

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