RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Yeshiva University men's volleyball team concluded the regular season with a pair of conference losses, at the Peter Jay Sharp Center, on Sunday afternoon. Yeshiva lost the first match to Purchase College, 3-1, and fell to host Mount Saint Vincent by the same score.

Yeshiva (8-11, 4-6 Skyline) clinches the No. 4 seed and will take on No. 1 St. Joseph's College Long Island in the semifinal round of the Skyline Conference championships, on Thursday. First serve at the Danzi Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. No. 3 St. Joseph's College Brooklyn will take on No. 2 Purchase College in the other semifinal match, that same night.

In Yeshiva's first match against Purchase College (12-15, 7-3 Skyline), set scores were 25-20, 25-23, 25-27, and 26-24. The Maccabees trailed 19-10 in the opening set, but rallied with seven straight points, capped off by a kill from sophomore opposite hitter Derek Orenshein, to narrow the Panthers' lead to two. Junior middle blocker Yosef Ajami and senior outside hitter Chaim Aryeh Rubin combined for back-to-back kills to pull YU to within one, at 20-19. After Orenshein had another successful attack, the Panthers finished the game with four straight points to go up, 1-0, in the match.

The Macs had a 16-11 advantage in the second set, but Purchase scored five straight points to tie it. A kill by graduate middle blocker Adam Gerszberg temporarily halted Purchase's momentum. Later in the stanza, an attack error by PC allowed YU to tie it, 23-23. However, the Panthers scored the last two points to go up 2-0 in the match and put the Maccabees on the brink.

In the third game, Yeshiva trailed 19-17. However, the Macs scored four straight points to grab a 21-19 advantage. The Panthers countered with three straight points to regain the lead. A kill by Rubin propelled the Macs to a set-point opportunity, at 24-23. After Purchase tied it, Yeshiva earned another chance to close out the game, but the Panthers answered once again. After Yeshiva gained its third set-point chance, Ajami clinched it for the Macs with a kill to stay alive in the contest.

The Maccabees trailed 23-21 in the fourth stanza. A kill by Gerszberg capped off a 3-0 YU run to tie the game, 24-24. However, Purchase scored the final two points to clinch the match-victory and the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Skyline Conference championships.

For the match, Rubin and Gerszberg each slammed home 10 kills with the latter producing four digs with two blocks and the former adding five digs and three service aces. Sophomore setter Isaac Pomerance had a team-high 26 assists, while Ajami had five kills and seven digs. Orenshein added seven kills, five digs, and three blocks. Graduate libero Sibi Selvarajah led all players with 16 digs.

In the match against Mount Saint Vincent (3-18, 1-9 Skyline), set scores were 20-25, 25-22, 25-15, and 27-25. In the opening set, sophomore outside hitter Jonathan Apsan slammed home back-to-back kills to cap off an 8-0 YU run and give the Blue and White the lead, 9-5. The Maccabees did not surrender the advantage for the remainder of the game, as Rubin scored an ace and then slammed home a kill to clinch the first game for the Macs, 25-20.

In the second set, Yeshiva went on an 8-2 run, beginning with a kill by Rubin and ending with a successful attack by sophomore outside hitter Joseph Sulaymanov, to put the Maccabees up, 16-14. After the Dolphins rallied to take the lead, a kill by Pomerance capped off a 4-1 run by YU to put the Macs up, 20-19. With the match tied, 22-22, the home team scored the last three points to even the match at one set apiece.

After the Dolphins earned a convincing win in the third set, Yeshiva got off to a strong start in the fourth as a kill by Rubin put his team up, 13-10. Later in the set, CMSV took an 18-16 advantage. A service ace by Ajami was Yeshiva's third straight point that gave them a 19-18 lead. After Mount Saint Vincent tied it, Gerszberg scored a kill and Orenshein added an ace to put the Maccabees up, 21-19. The Dolphins countered with four straight points to jump back in front, 23-21. YU answered with three straight points, concluding with a kill by Rubin, to put the Macs at set-point. After Mount Saint Vincent tied it, Rubin added another kill to give Yeshiva its second set-point opportunity. However, the Dolphins scored three points in a row to clinch a win in their season-finale, 3-1.

For the Maccabees, Rubin just missed a double-double with 13 kills and nine digs, while scoring three aces. Pomerance had a match-high 37 assists with eight digs, while Sulaymanov added eight kills and five digs. Orenshein had a solid match with seven kills, 11 digs, three blocks, and a pair of aces. Gerszberg produced nine successful attacks with three digs, while Ajami had four kills with 10 digs. Apsan produced five kills and two digs, while Selvarajah once again anchored the defense with 16 digs.

Be sure to check out www.yumacs.com for all the updates regarding Yeshiva's semifinal match at St. Joseph's College Long Island, scheduled to take place on Thursday evening.