Saturday, March 23, 2013 (Newton, Massachusetts) - Mount Ida College men's volleyball senior outside hitter and Captain added a team-high 13 kills in the first match of Saturday's Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tri-match with a 3-0 sweep victory over visiting Albertus Magnus College winning in straight sets by scores of 25-18, 26-24 and 25-19 snapping an 11-game losing streak in the process. Hastings, who had surpassed the 1,000 kill mark for his career two weeks ago, slid into second all-time overtaking alumnus Thomas Belton (1,020) now standing with 1,030.
It was the first league victory for the Mustangs this season under the direction of second year Head Coach Craig Martin improving their overall record to 5-16 with a 1-7 GNAC slate. The Falcons fall to 8-9 for the 2013 season still searching for their first conference win of the year (0-7).
Hastings notched 10 digs and a solo block for the contest to go along with his 13 kills showcasing a .310 hitting percentage for the match. Freshman middle hitter Justin Rhoden (Corona, CA/Corona Centennial) wasn't far behind with 11 kills on 16 attempts with only two errors including a team-high two service aces. Freshman setter Brady Rodriguez (Longwood, FL/Bishop Moore) was sensational running the Mustang offense with a game-high 39 assists with 10 digs and two service aces respectively. Junior outside hitter Nick Schibi (Torrington, CT/O. Wolcott Regional) had his best outing of the season with nine kills on 18 chances with zero errors for an impressive .500 hitting percentage.
For the visitors, sophomore outside hitter Glenn Johnson (Newington, CT/Newington) added a game-high 16 kills on 37 attempts with nine digs and a solo block. Freshman outside hitter Justin Tharau (Burlington, CT/O. Wolcott Tech.) recorded seven kills with four digs while freshman setter Dennis Waibel (Bethlehem, CT/O. Wolcott Tech.) dished out 28 assists with three digs.
All three games were very tight with back-and-forth action throughout exchanging points all the way up until the end. Mount Ida would squeak ahead up 9-8 early in the opening game capped on a kill by Schibi. The Falcons knotted the action at 10-10 capturing the next two points after a kill by Tharau and a ball handling error by the hosts. The Mustangs surged ahead burning through an 11-3 run to overtake a commanding 21-13 advantage. Mount Ida would ultimately close out the set one victory winning 25-18 up 1-0 in the match.
Game two was again very close with no more than three points separating the action throughout the entire frame. The visitors held a three point (21-18) lead following two kills by Johnson and an attacking error by Mount Ida. The Mustangs chipped away evening the score three different times through the final points knotted at 24-24. Two Rhoden kills on assists from Rodriguez would close out the 26-24 game two victory leading 2-0 heading into game three.
Mount Ida started game three powering through an 11-6 run capped on an attacking error by the visitors. The Mustangs would eventually build a 20-15 lead following another attacking error by the Falcons. Although Albertus Magnus crept closer toward the end of the set (21-18), the hosts would close out the 25-19 game three win taking their first GNAC contest of the season winning 3-0.
The visiting teams met in the second match of the day with Wentworth Institute of Technology capturing a 3-0 sweep over Albertus Magnus College by scores of 25-16, 25-18 and 25-16 handing the Falcons their second loss heading home with an overall record of 8-10 still searching for their first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) win (0-8). The Leopards captured their first victory of the day's tri-match heading into their final match-up against the hosting Mustangs.
Mount Ida would fall in the final match of the day in a 3-0 loss to Wentworth by scores of 25-18, 25-20 and 25-13. The Mustangs end Saturday at 1-1 with an overall record of 5-17 and a GNAC slate of 1-8 while the Leopards improve to 15-4 with a 6-1 conference standing sitting close to the top of the league charts.
The Mustangs were led again by Hastings, who now sits alone second all-time in the program books with 1,039 kills, with a team-high nine kills on 23 attempts adding 10 digs and two solo blocks for the contest. Junior outside hitter Nick Melillo (North Haven, CT/North Haven) notched five kills with five digs while Rodriguez manned the offense setting up 19 assists with four digs and a service ace.
For the visitors, junior outside hitter Ross Burdett (Needham, MA/Needham) notched nine kills on 18 attempts with only one error to lead the Leopards. Sophomore middle hitter Rami Akouri (Fall River, MA/Durfee) would tally eight kills and seven digs with a solo block while sophomore Sean Donahue (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln) recorded seven kills with two service aces.
The Mustangs will host GNAC member Lasell College this coming Tuesday evening at the Mount Ida Athletic Center with game time slated for 6:00 p.m.