Men’s Volleyball Turns Away No. 4 NYU, 3-1

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Endicott men's volleyball team defeated No. 4 nationally ranked New York University (NYU), 3-1, by scores of 15-25, 25-23, 25-21, and 25-21 on Friday night in the International Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic, hosted by No. 1 Springfield College.

Endicott's win over NYU marks the highest nationally ranked opponent the Gulls have defeated in program history. This is the second time Endicott has beaten a No. 4 ranked team as the Gulls downed No. 4 Stevens, 3-2, at home on February 23, 2020. The previous record was No. 5, which occurred against Kean University on January 26, 2019 (W, 3-2).

Nikolas Kasprzak (Windham, N.H.) and Rafa Robert (San Juan, Puerto Rico) led the way for the Gulls with 10 kills apiece.

Ian Smith (Elk Grove, Calif.) and Spencer Capps (Lake Bluff, Ill.) also contributed seven and six kills, respectively, while Gabe DeBenedetto (Rockford, Ill.) dished out a match-high 32 assists to aid Endicott in the victory.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The Gulls claimed their first-ever win over NYU (1-4).
• In those five meetings, the Violets have been nationally ranked three times (No. 4, No. 6, No. 9).
• Tonight's match featured 27 ties and 11 lead changes (S1: 2-0 | S2: 11-7 | S3: 12-4 | S4: 2-0).
• Endicott countered NYU's impressive block, which compiled one block solo and 18 block assists on the night, with match-highs in service aces (9), serve-receive percentage (.896), and digs (20).
• Kasprzak finished tied for the set-high in kills with six total in the second stanza (6K-3E-9TA).

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (4-0) takes on No. 1 Springfield tomorrow in the Morgan Classic Championship at 8 PM. No. 4 NYU (2-2) plays No. 3 Vassar in the consolation round at 6 PM. 

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(Photo Credit - Chris Lyons '22)