MARCY, N.Y. – The Mount Ida College men's volleyball team began their 2015 season on Friday evening when they traveled to a tip-off tournament at SUNY Polytechnic Institute.
The Mustangs couldn't get this first win, however, as they dropped matches to Vassar College and Wells College, both by 3-0 score lines.
Match 1: Wells 3, Mount Ida 0
After a tight first set, which Mount Ida fell 25-23, the Express picked up 25-17 and 25-15 victories to close out the match.
Freshman Peter Griffenkranz (Deer Park, N.Y.) kicked off his collegiate career by leading the Mustangs with 10 kills and two service aces, to go with four digs and a block assists.
Junior James Ames (W. Hartford, Conn.) pitched in with 9 kills as well, while Dennis Miranda (Havana, Cuba) added five kills and three digs.
Junior setter Jimmy Wessel (DeKalb, Ill.) piled up 26 assists in the first game of the year.
Wells hit a collective .433 in the match and were led by freshman Brannon Perdicho (Victor, N.Y.), who racked up 10 kills on 13 total swings without an error to hit .769 in his second collegiate game.
Sophomore Liam Kaylor (Falls Church, Va.) posted eight kills on 16 attack attempts, ranking second with a .438 hitting percentage. Junior J.J. Podczasy (Macungie, Pa.) led the team with two service aces.
Freshman Scott Litvin (Sayville, N.Y.) had a solid second game in a Wells uniform, assisting 30 of his team's 35 kills while tying for the team lead with five digs alongside Perdicho and freshman Jack Battumur (Denver, Colo.).
Match 2: Vassar 3, Mount Ida 0
Despite a game-high 11 kills from Ames, the Mustangs were downed by scores of 25-21, 25-16, and 25-14.
Wessel added 17 more assists and led Mount Ida with six dis and three service aces, but Ames's teammates added just six more kills to his total, four of them by Miranda and two more by Griffenkranz.
Miranda had two solo blocks and the only other service ace for the Mustangs against the Brewers.
Vassar College saw freshman Matthew Knigge (New Egypt, N.J.) post 10 kills on 12 swings, adding two blocks in the win for the Brewers. Erik Halberg (Neward, Del.) hit .625 in the match, pounding down five kills on eight attempts, and Reno Kriz (Breinigsville, Pa.) contributed four kills in two sets of play. Sophomore Quinn Rutledge (Chesterfield, Va.) posted 23 assists in the victory, adding four digs, and fellow sophomore Nick Zarchen (Santa Monica, Calif.) tied for a team-best with four digs.