NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher men's volleyball team's 2026 season came to an end on Friday with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-15) loss to NYU, ranked No. 9 nationally, in the first round of the United Volleyball Conference Postseason Tournament. The Cardinals concluded the season 19-11 overall.
NYU will face No. 2-seeded MIT in the semifinals on Saturday.
How It Happened
The Violets closed the first set with a 10-3 run to secure a 25-21 victory. They slammed 17 kills while hitting over .340 in the frame and were led by Charlie Clifford, who accounted for six kills and hit nearly .270. Freshman outside hitter Avery Kielbasinski, junior outside hitter Sonepith Keoviengsamay and senior outside hitter Gabe La Robardiere each had three kills for the Cardinals.
Fisher gave NYU all it could handle in the second set, never falling behind by more than four points and tying the match at 23 down the stretch with a 7-3 run. However, the Violets scored two straight points to close out the victory. Emerson Evans, the UVC Player of the Year, had seven kills and logged a .667 hitting percentage in the set.
NYU, which didn't hit below .340 in any of the three frames, completed the sweep with a 25-15 win in the third, smashing 18 kills while hitting .552 along the way. Evans led the Violets with six kills and Clifford contributed three.
Game Notes
