Men’s Volleyball Falls to Springfield in National Semifinal

KENOSHA, Wis. (April 22, 2022)  – After reaching the national semifinals for the sixth time in program history, the Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team saw its season come to a close with a 3-0 (19-25, 22–25, 13-25) setback to Springfield College Friday in a neutral-site match held at Carthage College's Tarble Arena. 

Junior Alex Franke and graduate student Jack Fyda each had six kills for the Ducks, who saw their 19-match winning streak come to an end in dropping to 30-4. The Ducks' 30 wins are the most for the program since 2017 and are tied for the third-most in program history.

Liam York, Brennan Brandow and Jarrett Anderson each had nine kills to pace the Pride, who won their 16th straight match in improving to 29-1. Anderson also served up a match-high four aces.

After hitting well over .300 in their first four postseason contests, the Ducks were unable to find the same level of success at the point of attack, hitting just .095. Conversely, the Ducks held Springfield nearly 100 points below its season hitting percentage over the first two sets before the Pride closed out the match with a 13-0-16 (.812) performance in the final set.

The opening set saw back-and-forth play in the early stages as the Ducks were able to take advantage of a pair of York blocking errors to pull even at six. The Pride then reeled off three straight points to take a 9-6 lead - one which they would maintain over the duration of the set. First-year Koby Sherman recorded a set-high four kills as the Ducks attempted to climb back into the frame, but Springfield's All-American libero, Johjan Mussa Robles defended 11 digs to keep Stevens' offense in check. Springfield registered four of the final five points to claim the opening set.

The second frame saw the Pride race out to a 10-5 lead, forcing a timeout. However, the Ducks met the challenge and went on an 8-4 run to pull within one at 14-13 after Franke set down consecutive feeds from junior setter Louden Moran. Franke connected for four of his six kills in the second set, while Moran dished out 12 of his 27 assists.

The resilient Ducks pulled within a single point four times in the second set before reeling off three straight points to draw even at 21 on a kill from junior outside hitter Percy Bickford. However, the Pride scored four of the final five points in the set to take a 2-0 lead in the match. 

After the teams alternated the first series of points, the Pride went on a 6-1 run to open an 11-5 lead and a 5-0 run later in the frame broke the set open. Five different Ducks set down at least one kill with Fyda knocking down three to lead the offense.

Moran and sophomore Phu-Quy Ho each recorded a team-high seven digs and Bickford served the Ducks' lone ace of the match.

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