PATCHOGUE, NY – The St. John Fisher University men's volleyball team came from behind to beat St. Joseph's College in five, but dropped in four to Stevens Institute of Technology. After the first weekend of play, the Cardinals record sits at 3-1.
Fisher 3, St. Joseph's College 2
The Cardinals were overwhelmed by the offense of the Golden Eagles in the first set, dropping set one by a 25-19 margin. The Cardinals were outhit, as the Golden Eagles hit an impressive 0.577 in the first set behind 17 kills to just two attack errors. Meanwhile, Fisher hit 0.222 in the first set, behind just 12 kills and six errors.
Seeking to rebound, the Cardinals overcame an early deficit behind two critical kills from Josh Bigford to take their first lead of the day, up 12-11. The Golden Eagles were able to counter, knotting the second set at 15 a piece before grasping a slim 20-18 lead, forcing Head Coach Matt Cohen to use his first timeout of the second set. Out of the first timeout, Fisher would drop two of the next three points, bringing the score to 22-19 Golden Eagle advantage. Cohen would use his second timeout here, with the Cardinals down three. Out of the second timeout Fisher would rattle off three straight, tying the second set at 23. The Cardinals clinched the second set 26-24, on a costly attack error from the Golden Eagles and kills from Gabe La Robadiere and Griffin Stella. The Cardinals hit .324 in set two, brought on by 16 kills to five errors.
In the third set, Fisher jumped out to an early lead, but a lead that would be erased on a 13-6 run for the Golden Eagles, giving the opposing team a 18-14 edge. Fisher would crawl back to tie the third set at 19 all, and took the lead at 22-21. Seeking to prevent the Cardinals from taking set three, the Golden Eagles would go on a 3-1 run to take a 24-23 lead, forcing a Cardinal timeout. Down set point, the Cardinals were unable to mount a comeback, as St. Joseph's College took a 2-1 lead heading to set four.
Momentum began to shift in set four, as Fisher jumped out to 14-7 lead, and would maintain the seven-point separation throughout the set, besting the Golden Eagles 25-18. Fisher would hit .538 in the fourth set, with only one error across 26 attempts. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles hit a meager .194 in the fourth set.
The Cardinals jumped out to a 4-1 lead in set five, and would not let the reigns up, beating the Golden Eagle 15-7 in set five, finishing off a 3-2 win from behind.
Bigford finished with 23 kills in the win, the most he has since Feb. 29, 2020, when he finished with 25 kills in a five-set victory over New York University. The Cardinals found success by making timely adjustments to stifle the offense of the Golden Eagles, who progressively hit worse each set after the first.
Stevens 3, Fisher 1
In a matchup against #4 Stevens Institute of Technology, the Cardinals jumped out to an early 16-9 lead in the first set. The Cardinals would showcase their offensive weapons, finishing with thirteen kills and three errors, en route to a 25-19 first set victory.
In the second set, the Ducks would score early and often, taking an 8-3 lead. The lead would swell to as much as much as 12, as six attack errors gave the Ducks a momentum swinging set. The Ducks would take set two, 25-13.
In the third set, the Cardinals looked for redemption, but once again found themselves in an early hole, down 14-8. Through the sets first 22 points, the Cardinals tallied four attack errors. Out of the first Fisher timeout, the Ducks would go on a convincing 8-1 rally to take a 20-9 lead, with the only point credited for Fisher coming on a service error. In a similar outcome to the second set, the Cardinals would drop the third set 25-12 to go down 2-1.
Fisher's struggles against the high-flying offense of the Ducks continued into the fourth set, with the Cardinals starting down 6-2. While Fisher would bounce back to cut the lead to three, down 18-15, they were unable to fully recover, as the Ducks would take set four by a 25-18 score.
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