Box Score BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Yeshiva University men's volleyball team concluded the 2017 season with a hard-fought loss to Pratt Institute, 3-1, at the Pratt A.R.C. on Tuesday evening. Set scores were 25-19, 17-25, 25-22, and 25-22.
Leading the way for the Maccabees (5-16) was freshman outside hitter Jonathan Greenberg, who slammed home 12 kills and added 11 digs for a double-double. Freshman setter Sander Eizen led all players with 30 assists, while senior libero Hirschy Zaks ended his collegiate career with a match-high 16 digs. Junior opposite hitter Mathew Rosenberg added 10 digs with six kills and two service aces. Sophomore middle blocker Samuel Marcus led the team with four service aces and three blocks, while junior middle blocker Itai Guttman added six kills with two blocks and an ace.
Pratt (9-4) did not trail in the opening set, as the Cannoneers won the first game, 25-19. In the second set, back-to-back kills by Rosenberg and Greenberg highlighted a 5-0 run for Yeshiva, putting the visiting team up, 14-9. YU also scored five unanswered points to conclude the second set, capped off by a kill from Rosenberg, to tie the match at one.
Rosenberg's momentum continued into the third game, as he scored back-to-back service aces to give YU a 2-0 advantage. Pratt scored seven of the next eight points to gain the lead, 7-3. The Maccabees would not go down without a fight, as a kill by Greenberg pulled Yeshiva to within one, at 12-11. Later in the set, a service ace by Marcus tied the game at 15. After Pratt stormed to a 20-16 advantage, Yeshiva scored four points in a row, highlighted by Rosenberg's kill, to tie it up. That's as close as the Macs would get as Pratt went on a 5-2 run to clinch the third set and put Yeshiva on the brink of defeat.
YU got off to a strong start in the fourth set, as a kill by sophomore outside hitter Chaim Aryeh Rubin gave Yeshiva a 5-2 lead. Pratt came storming back with a 7-2 run to go up 9-7. Later in the game, a kill by Guttman sparked a 3-0 run by Yeshiva, giving the Macs a 15-14 advantage. Senior middle blocker Tuvia Marks slammed home a kill to put YU up 17-16. The Cannoneers bounced back with a 6-2 run to retake the lead. Marcus and Guttman combined for back-to-back kills to pull Yeshiva to within one, at 22-21, but that was as close as they would get. Pratt scored three of the final four points to win the set and the match.
For the evening, Marcus added six kills and Marks slammed home four. Rubin anchored the defense with six digs.
The Maccabees will be back in action in 2018.
