NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Mount Ida College tied their match against Albertus Magnus at a set apiece but, despite four close sets, dropped a 3-1 decision to the host Falcons in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's volleyball tri-match on Saturday afternoon.
The Mustangs fall to 5-16 overall and 0-8 in GNAC play after being swept 3-0 in the first match of the day by #13 Wentworth
Match #2 - Albertus vs. Mount Ida
Albertus won the opening set 25-22 before the Mustangs got the edged in the second set by a score of 25-23. All four sets were close as Albertus finished out the match with set-victories of 26-24 and 25-22.
Mount Ida was led by James Ames (W. Hartford, Conn.), with 14 kills, and he added 12 digs and five service aces in the four-set defeat. Michael McCullough (Southborough, Mass.) had 39 helpers and six digs for the Mustangs.
Sophomore Peter Griffenkranz (Deer Park, N.Y.) and junior Dennis Miranda (Havana, Cuba) each posted nine kills, while senior Kalyn Smithson (Vilseck, Germany) slammed six kills and added two solo blocks and two block assists.
Glenn Johnson (Newington, Conn.) led all players with 17 kills in 38 attempts. He also tallied a match-high 15 digs to go along with three solo blocks and one block assist for the Falcons. Teammate Justin Tharau (Burlington, Conn.) dished out 31 assists, while adding nine digs.
Connor Filkins (Wallingford, Conn.) added seven digs and three service aces for the Falcons. His solid serving effort help guide the Falcons in the third-set victory. Josh Turner (Trumbull, Conn.) tallied four kills and four solo blocks for the Falcons as one of his stops proved to be the game winner in the third set. Ben Spilka (Redding, Conn.) added six kills for the Falcons as well as nine digs.
Match #1 – Wentworth vs. Mount Ida
The Mustangs struggled against the nationally ranked Leopards, getting beaten 25-11 in each of the three sets.
Ames posted five kills, while Miranda and Smithson chipped in with three kills apiece. McCullough added 12 assists and six digs, while Andrew Shaw (Anaheim, Calif.) led all players with nine digs.
Wentworth hit at a .412 clip for the game and was led by eight kills from Alex Potts and five kills apiece from Jake Reed and Mike Hansen.
Mount Ida travels down the road to Lasell College on a March 24th for a 7:00 pm date with the Lasers.