BROOKLYN - The Yeshiva University men's volleyball team could not contain its strong start to the match as the Maccabees dropped a 3-1 decision to the Cannoneers of Pratt Institute, at the Pratt Athletic and Recreation Center, on Thursday evening. Set scores were 18-25, 25-21, 25-20, and 25-23.
For the Maccabees: Senior outside hitter Shmuel Aberman slammed home six kills, produced a hitting percentage of .385, anchored the defense with 11 digs, scored a service ace, and had a block. Classmate Benjamin Smillie tallied six kills, 10 digs, three service aces, and a pair of assists. Sophomore right side hitter Eidan Horn scored seven kills, recorded six digs, and provided three assists. Rookie outside hitter Zanvy Lesnoy generated six kills, five digs, a block, and a service ace. Freshman setter Eli Waxman chipped in with 18 assists, seven digs, and a kill.
How It Happened: The Maccabees (3-3) got off to a slow start in the opening set, falling behind 7-3. However, they slowly chipped away as back-to-back kills by Horn and senior middle blocker Eliezer Benjamin tied it up at 11 points apiece. Then a pair of errors by Pratt (1-6) gave Yeshiva a 13-11 benefit. However, a 6-3 run by the Cannoneers put them ahead again, 17-16. The Macs snatched momentum right back as a kill by Waxman, a pair of successful attacks by Lesnoy, and a service ace courtesy of Smillie, highlighted a 9-1 finish to the first set by YU to clinch the opening stanza by a score of 25-18, giving the Maccabees a 1-0 lead in the match.
Yeshiva's strong finish to the first set carried over into the second as back-to-back service aces from Smillie gave the Blue and White a 13-9 advantage. Pratt answered with an 8-1 run to take a 17-14 benefit. YU fought back as a kill by Aberman capped off three unanswered points to tie the second game at 17. Pratt took control by scoring six of the frame's next seven points to jump ahead, 23-18. The Maccabees could not generate a consistent run to get back into the set, as Pratt secured the win in the second game, 25-21, to even the match, 1-1.
The Macs were up, 5-4, in the third set, but the Cannoneers went on a 5-1 rally to take the lead, 9-6, and never looked back. Yeshiva played catch up for the rest of the stanza as Pratt stayed one step ahead on its way to the 25-20 victory in the third game that put YU in a 2-1 hole.
In the fourth stanza, the Macs were behind but a 4-0 run put them in front, 14-13. The home team countered with a 7-1 blitz to go up 20-15. Later on, Yeshiva fell into a 24-20 hole. The Maccabees were not done yet as three straight errors by Pratt pulled YU to within one. However, the Cannoneers were able to score the 25th point to clinch the set and their first victory of the season.
Contributing for YU: Graduate libero Michael Stark had four digs and an assist. Benjamin finished with three kills, two service aces, and just as many digs.
For Pratt: Sophomore outside hitter Jason Raymond slammed home a match-high 25 kills, while producing seven digs and adding three service aces. First-year setter Brooks Reid had an outstanding match with six kills, 31 assists, 14 digs, and three service aces. Classmate Devaun Longley generated seven kills, six service aces, and two digs.
Up Next: Yeshiva will compete in a tri-match at King's College (Pa.) on Sunday, February 26. YU will take on King's at 12:00 p.m. and then Immaculata University at 2:00 p.m.
