ROCHESTER, NY – The eighth-seeded SUNYIT men's volleyball team suffered a 3-0 (14-25, 15-25, 18-25) loss to the top seeded and nationally ranked Nazareth College Golden Flyers in the quarterfinal round of the inaugural United Volleyball Conference Tournament this past Saturday. The Wildcats concluded its 2011 season with an overall record of 9-16 and tied the program record for most wins in a season, which they set a year ago.
Nazareth, ranked second nationally in the AVCA Division III poll, used a balanced offensive attack to produce a .429 hitting percentage while holding the Wildcats to a percentage of just .071. Robert Kraft led the way with eight kills on 10 attempts, while Alex Houghtalen added seven kills. Setters E.J. Wells-Spicer (27) and Connor Ecklund (10) combined for 37 assists.
Sophomore Jeff Coon (Cheektowaga, NY/Cheektowaga) led SUNYIT with a match-high 10 kills and also added two digs and two blocks, while junior Ryan Meller (Eden, NY/Eden Central) finished with five kills and five digs. Senior Jonathan Brochu (Latham, NY/Shaker) registered a match-high seven digs and freshman Dylan Krowicki (Little Falls, NY/Little Falls) tallied 18 assists in addition to four digs and two blocks.
Nazareth went on to win the tournament, defeating Vassar College 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-21) in the semifinals Saturday and SUNY New Paltz in a thrilling 3-2 set (30-32, 18-25, 25-19, 25-23, 18-16) in the championship match on Sunday. The Golden Flyers will now be the top seed in the 17th and final North East Collegiate Volleyball Association Tournament, which will be held at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J. this weekend. The winner of the three-day, 16-team event will gain an automatic berth to the Molten Division III Men's Invitational Championship, which will also be hosted by Nazareth on April 15 and 16.