Old Westbury, N.Y. —The SUNY Old Westbury men's volleyball team returned to action at the Clark Athletic Center on Wednesday night and found themselves back in the win column. Following a straight-set loss to Mount St. Joseph University on Tuesday night, the Panthers bounced back in impressive fashion by defeating Yeshiva University in straight sets 25-19, 28-26, 25-22 in Skyline Conference action in front of the home crowd.
Old Westbury found themselves in an early hole in the opening set, trailing 5-2 to the Maccabees before quickly regaining control of the momentum. The Panthers responded with a strong offensive run to take command of the set and ultimately secured the opening frame 25-19.
The second set proved to be the most competitive of the match as both teams battled back and forth in a tightly contested set. With the score tied late, both sides had opportunities to close out the set before the Panthers capitalized on key points to pull away and claim the dramatic 28-26 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Looking to close out the sweep, the Panthers continued their momentum into the third set. Old Westbury maintained control for much of the frame before sealing the match with a 25-22 set win to complete the straight-set victory.
With the win, the Panthers improve to 5-5 overall and 2-3 in Skyline Conference play.
Leading the way for Old Westbury was sophomore middle blocker Torrence Fredericks, who delivered a dominant performance with a match-high 15 kills and four digs while hitting .345 on the night. Freshman middle blocker Luke Vetack also turned in a strong outing with seven kills and one dig, while sophomore right-side hitter Shane Kielb contributed five kills to help fuel the Panthers' offensive attack.
Sophomore middle blocker Maximo Aguilera added three kills and a team-high six digs, while Jason Giles chipped in two kills. Freshman setter Lucas Rogers helped orchestrate the offense with nine assists, while senior outside hitter Ashel Santos recorded a team-high four service aces.
As a team, Old Westbury totaled 33 kills and an impressive 15 service aces, using aggressive serving to disrupt the Yeshiva attack throughout the match.
What's Next?
The Panthers will look to continue their momentum as they hit the road Thursday, March 12 to take on St. Joseph's University Long Island. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 PM.
