ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College Men's Volleyball welcomed Manhattanville and King's to town on Saturday, where they took down the Valiants 3-0 and fell to the Monarchs 3-2.
The Gators began the afternoon against Manhattanville, where they handled business, sweeping the Valiants 3-0 by scores of 25-16, 25-23, and 25-21. Sophomore opposite Dylan Fox (Albany, NY/Colonie) led the way in the victory for RSC, registering 12 kills on a .429 hitting percentage while adding four blocks and eight digs.
Coach Hartl's squad got high contributions from its freshmen in the win. Outside hitter John Lindheimer (Albany, NY/Colonie) registered nine kills and eight digs, middle blocker Evan Devine (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) recorded six kills on an outstanding .857 hitting percentage, and setter Anthony Guetti (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) tallied a game-high 32 assists.
Manhattanville College was led by Emil Morban Medrano and Kyle Simmons, who contributed 12 and 11 kills respectively.
Game two was much different for RSC, as King's took an early two set lead, before the Gators rallied back and took the next two to force a winner-take-all fifth set. The Monarchs took the final set 15-7 to complete the 3-2 (25-22, 25-15, 18-25, 24-26, 15-7) victory.
Russell Sage saw similar contributors in the second contest of the afternoon, as Fox led all attackers with 19 kills while contributing ten digs. Lindheimer tallied a double-double of ten kills and ten digs, while senior libero Jack McWilliam (Fishkill, NY/Arlington) also found himself in double-digits in the digs column with ten of his own.
Senior middle blocker Confidence Burrowes (East Orange, NJ/Donald M. Payne/Wells) finished the contest with a .727 hitting percentage to compile eight kills.
Greg Bosquet's 14 kills led the way for King's, who went 2-0 on the day with its win over RSC and 3-0 win over Manhattanville.
"I'm really proud of how the guys played today," shared Hartl after the tri-match. "They showed a ton of heart and definitely learned a lot heading into next weekend."
Looking ahead, the Gators (2-9) continue the home stretch with a tri-match against Elms and Elmira next Saturday.
Gator Bites with Papa John's: The spring marks the fourth with Reid Hartl at the helm of the Gators…RSC returns six players from last season's team, highlighted by Fox…Hartl added nine newcomers to the roster, including senior middle blocker Confidence Burrowes (East Orange, NJ/Donald M. Payne/Wells)…Fox, Burrows, and Occelin were voted co-captains.
