Johnson, VT-- Russell Sage College men's volleyball team was on the road Saturday at NVU-Johnson. RSC posted a 3-1 win in the NECC Conference match-up in the first of two matches played (19-25, 25-20, 29-27,25-18) to collect the No. 6 seed in the 2022 NECC Men's Volleyball Tournament. The appearance in the tournament is the first for the Gators, who are first-year members of the NECC. The Gators collected the No. 6 seed and will travel on April 5 to No. 3 seeded Eastern Nazarene College. Match time to be determined.
In the nightcap of the day, the Gators posted a tight 3-2 victory (25-23, 26-28, 25-23, 26-28, 15-12) and now stands at 6-23 overall and owns a 1-5 NECC mark.
Senior opposite Deshawn Fleary (Newark, NJ/Immaculate Conception Montclair) racked up his first double-double of the season after he had a .406 attack percentage with a team and personal-best 16 kills. He added 10 digs with an ace and led the team with his 17.0 points.
Senior middle hitter Andrew Samson (Queens, NY/Pathways) tallied 10.5 points with eight kills, two solo blocks and a .400 attack percentage in the contest. Sophomore outside Joseph Vice (Schenectady, NY/Mohonasen) had seven kills with three digs and a block assist.
Junior outside hitter Corey Topple (Hudson, NY/Hudson) racked up six digs with a block assist, while senior middle hitter Mikhail Hailu (Saratoga Springs, NY/Schuylerville) had four kills with a solo block and a block assists.
Setter Ryan Jennings (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick Twp.), a graduate student, had a team-best 37 setting assists while racking up four digs with two kills.
Freshman defensive specialist Camden Knight (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills) finished with eight digs, while rookie setter Jack McWilliam (Fishkill, NY/Arlington) added seven digs.
In the second match, Jennings led the Gators with 9.5 points having tallied seven kills with three digs, two aces and 16 setting assists.
Fleary added eight digs with three kills, and an ace en route to 5.0 points in the match. Samson added 6.5 points on four kills with a dig. Vice had a solo block with a block assist, while tallying four digs with three kills. Hailu connected for 7.5 points with his seven kills and six digs, while junior opposite Elijah Tortorici (Clifton Park, NY/Mohonasen) added five kills with four digs and 6.0 points in the Gator victory.
On the season, Fleary leads the Gators with a personal-best 151.0 points having added 116 kills with 142 digs. Hailu checks in with 134.0 points on 108 kills, while Jennings has a team-best 453 setting assists on the campaign. Jennings continues his climb in the program record book as he stands second all-time with his 2,149 career setting assists. He is also tied for sixth with his 82 aces and tied for eighth with his 373 career digs.
