HACKENSACK, N.J. – FDU men's volleyball dropped their first match of the season earlier today in a close five set loss against Sacred Heart. Despite a strong blocking and hitting performance, the Knights were not able to close out the match.
Set one saw back-and-forth action for the first 23 points, as neither the Pioneers nor Knights could gather a lead of more than three. With help from junior
Dylan McFadden, the Knights were able to pull ahead and take a 23-17 lead. McFadden logged six kills, one ace and one block. Sophomore
Rayjan Suarez Palacios showed his dominance at the net, tallying two blocks, including the final point to take set one 25-17.
Despite a strong start by the Burgundy and Blue that led to a 16-10 lead, the Pioneers proved they were not going down easily. With the score tied at 21-21, SHU was able to gather three kills and an ace to take the set and even the match score at 1-1.
Consistency was key for the Knights in set three, as FDU was firing on all fronts. Tallying 15 kills and only three errors, a hitting clip of .462 combined with two aces and a block secured a 25-19 set victory. Senior
Artem Vetrov led the pack, totaling five kills himself, while
Baboloki Prince Silwane logged his first career kill as a Knight.
With 17 kills and a .452 hitting percentage, Sacred Heart proved unstoppable in set four. A scrappy Knights defense although crucial to staying in the match, wasn't enough to hold off the hot hitting Pioneers, as SHU took set four 25-23. Playing off their momentum, Sacred Heart continued an offensive run through set five to take a 15-13 victory.
The Knights were led by McFadden, who tallied 20 kills, seven digs, 1.5 blocks and one ace for a total of 22.5 points. Defensively, senior
Grady Hoffman dominated the back row, logging 11 digs on the night.
The Burgundy and Blue will be back in action on January 24, as they take on Roberts Wesleyan. First serve is set for 6 pm in the Bogota Savings Bank Center and will be streamed on NEC Front Row.
