ROCHESTER, N.Y.- In one swift sweep, FDU spoiled Roberts Wesleyan's men's volleyball debut on Wednesday night by a score of 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-18). This moves the Knights' record to 3-1, which is the best start to a season in program history.
FDU relied on a steady attack that worked with ease to secure the victory inside Voller Athletic Center. The Knights produced 26 kills on an efficient .338 hitting percentage. An 11-kill effort from
Jamal Ellis Carballo and 28 assists courtesy of
Jose Angarita highlighted the Knights' offense. Tonight's game marked the second-straight match that FDU has hit above .330.
The Knights scored five-straight points to open the match giving them the room they needed to roll through the first frame. The second set proved to be much closer, but a Redhawk service error followed by a
Santiago La Jara ace transformed a 17-15 score into a four-point FDU lead at 19-15. This two-point stretch effectively shut the door on set number two and proved to be indicative of how the third would go as FDU completed the sweep shortly after.
Playing a big role in the offense for a second-straight game with nine kills tonight was
Mihajlo Rodic, who now sits at 19 kills on the season. The junior middle produced just 14 kills last year and had only 40 in his career entering the season. On top of this, Rodic has had back-to-back matches with nine kills. Before 2024, he had reached that mark just one time as a Knight.
Service pressure continued to be a big part of the story for FDU. They fired five aces, led by La Jara who matched a career-best of three, and committed just 14 service errors.
What's Next
The Knights and Redhawks will be back inside Voller Athletic Center tomorrow night, Jan 18, for part two of this back-to-back in Rochester. First-serve is set for 6 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ECC Sports Network.
