ALBANY, N.Y. – The Mount Ida College men's volleyball team got themselves in the win column for the first time this year with a 3-0 victory over Lehman College at a tri-match held at Sage College.
Mount Ida is now 1-3 on the year after dropping the second game of the day to the host Gators by a 3-0 score as well.
Game One: Mount Ida 3, Lehman 0
The Mustangs set the tone with a 25-15 emphatic win in the first set before finishing off the lightning with 25-23 victories in each of the next two frames.
The Mustangs hit .305 in the match, including a .387 showing in the second set, where they recorded 18 kills on 31 attempts. Mount Ida also had a 7-1 edge in blocks, thanks to four apiece by TJ Nicholas (Shelton, Conn.) and Tyler Shinkle (West Deptford, N.J.), and a 7-3 lead in service aces.
James Ames (W. Hartford, Conn.) led all players with 13 kills, while Nicholas had nine kills and Shinkle added seven points.
Sophomore Peter Griffenkranz (Deer Park, N.Y.) combined with Ames and Jimmy Wessel (DeKalb, Ill.) for two aces apiece. Griffenkranz also had four digs, while Dennis Miranda (Havana, Cuba) dug out a team-high six balls.
Michael McCullough (Southborough, Mass.) and Wessel combined for 35 assists.
For the Lightning, Orlando Vargas (Tenares, D.R.) led the way with 12 kills, and Emmanuel Ortiz (Bronx, N.Y.) set up 23 points. Henry Nunez (Bronx, N.Y.) added three kills and a game-high 7 digs.
Game Two: Sage 3, Mount Ida 0
Griffenkranz led the Mustangs with 9 kills and 1.5 blocks, but Sage hit over .500 in the first and third sets en route to wins of 25-13, 25-22 and 25-18.
Mount Ida held a 12-3 advantage in the second set, but couldn't hold off the hosts, who registered 22 kills and just three errors outside of that second frame.
Nichols registered seven more kills and Ames had five kills and a team-high five digs.
Ryan Guyton (Lockport, N.Y.) scored a season-high 17.5 points with 10 kills and seven service aces. The outside hitter was followed by Bailey Cecchi (Agawam, Mass.) with 8.5 points and four service aces. Casey Fitzpatrick (Haverhill, Mass.) tallied 25 of Sage's 28 assists.
Mount Ida will play their home opener on Thursday aft 6:00 pm when Elms College comes to Mustang City.