HACKENSACK, N.J. – FDU men's volleyball opened their season at home earlier today, facing first year program Barry in a midweek clash. The Knights had a strong showing, taking their first victory of the season. Three players made their FDU debuts as the Burgundy and Blue cruised to a 3-1 win.
Set one saw a slow start for the Knights, who took their time to find any kind of momentum. Errors started to rack up for the Burgundy and Blue, who saw five service blunders and seven attacking errors to put them behind 22-17. Despite a solid comeback effort, including two kills from junior
Jamal Ellis Carballo, FDU was unable to make up the point difference and dropped set one 23-25.
With a refreshed mind, the Knights came out swinging in set two, jumping to an early 11-4 lead. Junior
Dylan McFadden showed off his dominance at the net, logging four kills in the set, while graduate student
Sina Sinbari made his FDU debut. Tallying 12 kills and just only one error, the Burgundy and Blue hit an impressive .550 on the set. Two aces and four blocks assisted in the 25-12 set victory to even the match score at 1-1.
The third and fourth sets saw hustle and determination from FDU, who kept a lead for the rest of the match. Taking set three 25-17, the Burgundy and Blue cruised through set four with a 25-13 win to take the set and match. Junior
Vinil Shah and
Baboloki Prince Silwane also made their Knights debuts, stepping in and leading the Knights to their first win of the season.
FDU will return to action on January 17, as the Knights face former NEC opponent Sacred Heart. First serve is set for 6 pm at the Bogota Savings Bank Center and will be streamed on NEC Front Row.
