NEW YORK – The Yeshiva University men's volleyball team suffered a hard-fought Skyline Conference loss to College of Mount Saint Vincent, 3-1, at Max Stern Athletic Center on Thursday evening. Set scores were 25-21, 25-22, 23-25, and 25-15.
Leading the way for the Maccabees (6-17, 3-11 Skyline) was senior outside hitter Amitai Kolom who slammed home 10 kills and added three digs. Classmate Benjamin Smillie tallied seven kills, 13 digs, three service aces, and a pair of assists. Graduate libero Avi Braun tied a match-high with 16 digs, while rookie middle blocker Lavi Friedman had five kills and two blocks. First-year setter Eli Waxman tallied 14 assists, four digs, and a kill.
In the opening set, a kill by senior outside hitter Shmuel Aberman and then a kill by Smillie sparked three straight points by YU to tie it up at 16 points apiece. The Dolphins (9-13, 6-5 Skyline) scored the next two points to retake the lead. The Macs were able to keep up with the opposition until CMSV scored three straight points to clinch the first set, 25-21, and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
In the second game, back-to-back kills by Kolom highlighted a 4-0 Macs run to put them ahead, 10-8. Yeshiva built its lead as a service ace by Kolom made it 16-12 in favor of the Maccabees. Mount Saint Vincent turned the tide by going on a 10-1 blitz to take a 22-17 hold. YU was able to inch closer but could not generate a consistent run to pull even as CMSV won the second set, 25-22, to put YU on the brink of defeat.
Down 2-0 in the match, and 18-14 in the third set, Yeshiva was in trouble. However, the Maccabees would not go down without a fight as the Blue and White went on a 7-0 run to jump out in front, 21-18. A kill by Kolom and a pair of service aces from Aberman sparked YU's rally. The Macs built their lead up to 24-19. The Dolphins scored the next three points to pull to within one, but Yeshiva capitalized on an attack error by CMSV to win the third set, 25-23, and pull to within 2-1 in the match.
In the fourth set, Smillie scored a service ace to give Yeshiva a 4-3 lead. The Dolphins countered with a 7-2 run to jump out in front. YU played from behind the rest of the way. In the late stages of the set, CMSV went on a 5-1 run to pad its benefit to 21-13. The visiting team ended up winning the stanza, 25-15, to win the match by a score of 3-1 and solidify its Skyline playoff spot.
For the Maccabees, Aberman had four digs, three service aces, and a pair of assists. Rookie setter Eidan Horn tallied six assists. Senior middle blocker Eliezer Benjamin slammed home a pair of kills, while graduate libero Michael Stark tallied four digs.
Prior to the match, Yeshiva University honored eight men's volleyball graduating seniors, Yaakov Baker, David Cohen, Benjamin, Kolom, Braun, Stark, Smillie, and Aberman with a ceremony prior to the match.
Yeshiva will close out the season with a non-conference doubleheader against SUNY Old Westbury, at Max Stern Athletic Center on Sunday. First serve is set for 11:00 a.m.
