ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College men's volleyball hosted a doubleheader Saturday afternoon between Eastern Nazarene and MIT.
The Gators fell 3-0 (25-16. 25-17, 25-22) to Eastern Nazarene in game one and 3-1 (25-14, 21-25, 25-14, 25-10) to MIT, receiving votes in the latest AVCA Coaches' Poll, in game two.
Outside hitter Jarod Martel, a grad student, (Albany, NY/Colonie Central) led the charge for the Gators with seven kills and three digs, while freshman outside hitter Dylan Fox (Albany, NY/Colonie) continued his strong freshman campaign in game one, racking up six kills and adding two digs.
Junior middle hitter Marcus Gentile (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central) and senior opposite Wylkins Occelin (Brooklyn, NY/John Dewey) each added five kills to the scorebook.
Junior libero Jack McWilliam (Fishkill, NY/Arlington) racked up 24 assists in the opener.
Eastern Nazerne College improves to 10-5 on the season, rebounding off of Friday night's loss at Nichols.
The Lions were led by junior opposite Jacob Zarges, who hit .421 on his journey to 11 kills over the three sets.
Senior outside hitters Delfy Soler and Ian Pacheco added eight and seven kills respectively and senior setter Aaron Huang assisted his teammates a game-high 31 times.
The Gators saw similar action in game two, as Fox and Martel each had eight kills over the four-set match.
Gentile added another four kills in the nightcap, while Occelin contributed three.
RSC saw two blocks a piece in the box score from Gentile and Fox, while McWilliam shared 23 assists and contributed seven digs.
The Engineers improved their winning streak to six thanks to 13 kill performance from sophomore right side Ben Volokh. Four others for MIT added four or more kills. Senior setter Max Turner statted 31 assists and seven digs.
Looking ahead, the Gators (4-12) continue their busy spring break with a trip to Pennsylvania for a matchup with Immaculata on Monday evening.
Gator Bites: 2024 marks the Gators first as members of the New England Volleyball Conference…League coaches picked RSC, under the direction of Reid Hartl, to finish sixth in the NEVC…The roster, which has six returnees from last season, boasts plenty of local flavor with eight student-athletes hailing from Section 2…Hartl, now in his third season, added seven newcomers to the roster, including four freshmen…Four grad students are the roster, including co-captains: Deshawn Fleary, a grad student, (Newark, NJ/Immaculate Conception Montclair), an opposite, and outside hitter Jarod Martel, a grad student, (Albany, NY/Colonie Central).
Gator Golf: The 19th Annual Gator Golf Classic will be held May 31, 2024. More Information: https://www.
