FRANKLIN, Mass. –  Russell Sage College swept host Dean 3-0 (25-14, 27-25, 25-18) tonight.

Sophomore outside hitter Joseph Vice (Schenectady, NY/Mohonasen) (above) topped the Gators (3-3), now winners of three-straight, with seven kills.

Freshman defensive specialist Camden Knight (Delanson, NY/Burnt Hills) and senior middle hitter Mikhail Hailu (Saratoga Springs, NY/Schuylerville) added five kills apiece.  Knight contributed five aces and eight digs, while setter Ryan Jennings (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick Twp.), a graduate student, recorded 17 assists and six digs.

After hitting .714 en route to taking the opening set, the Gators followed that up by battling back from a pair of Dean set point situations to go up 2-0.  RSC completed the non-conference sweep by taking 13 of the final 17 points.

Freshman outside hitter Rodrigue Monteiro topped the host Bulldogs (0-1) with 10 kills, while junior setter Tyler Martins distributed 15 assists.

Looking ahead, RSC is scheduled to face Nichols and American International on Saturday afternoon. The Gators are slated to play at 1:00 pm vs. Nichols and 3:00 pm vs. the host Yellow Jackets.

Notes: Junior outside hitter Corey Topple (Hudson, NY/Hudson) was named the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Rookie of the Week on Monday...He averaged 2.00 kills and 2.67 digs last week...The Gators went almost 700 days without playing due to the COVID-19 pandemic…RSC is making its debut as an associate member of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) this season…League coaches picked the Gators to finish sixth in the NECC…The spring also marks the maiden voyage with Reid Hartl at the helm of the program…He took over as head coach in October 2021…Two players, senior opposite Deshawn Fleary (Newark, NJ/Immaculate Conception Montclair), and Jennings returned from the 2020 RSC team…Jennings began the campaign second in program records with 1,696 career assists…Kyle Ray '13 has the top spot with 2,910 career assists.

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