How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
When the men's volleyball team beat Vassar College last night, Head Coach Jose Pina's mind wasn't on the task at hand. He was thinking of the future - of the day when the crucial presence of graduating All-American Leeor Alon will be noticeably absent.
NYU defeated Vassar 3-1 last night at Coles Sports Center in a match that gave the Violets' back-up setter, junior Marc Horowitz, an opportunity to run the offense on the court.
Pina benched starting setter and senior co-captain Alon for the match to give Horowitz playing time. Pina said he needs to prepare Horowitz in case Alon gets injured and also for when the starter graduates in May.
'I have to select some matches to give him some experience and help me against tougher teams this year, so next year he can jump in against the tougher competition,' he said. 'It's not a regime change, this is still Leeor's team to run.'
The Violets, who are ranked second in the nation in the College Sports Television/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III Top 20 poll, improved to a 2-1 overall season record.
Horowitz's presence on the court helped NYU rebound from last week's 3-1 loss to the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He shut down the powerful Vassar outside hitter Matt Bninski.
'[Bninski]'s really hurt us before last year,' senior co-captain Tony Spangler said. 'We put up a big block on him and it just shut him down. Marc put up a bigger block on him and Marc always puts up a huge block. We knew we had to come out with more intensity after that disgusting loss against NJIT.'
While Horowitz's blocking worked well for the Violets, Pina said the rest of the Violets on the court still had a hard time adjusting to having a new setter on the court.
'He did well at the net blocking, which is what I expect of him the most, because he's more physical than Leeor,' he said. 'Marc and the middle hitters weren't connecting well - the middles are more accustomed to Leeor. Our starters did not respond as well to Marc as they should have. Setting and hitting is a rhythm. With Leeor they know were to go, but no two setters set alike.'
On Saturday, the Violets will face George Mason University in their first Eastern Collegiate Volleyball Association Tait division match in two years. The squad said they hope to work out all their early-season kinks before then.
'Everything needs to get better before this weekend,' Spangler said. 'Our passing needs to improve and really needs to pick up. We need to cut out the unforced errors. It's still early in the season, we'll put it together. With this better competition, we'll step up our game.'
Before the Violets go head-to-head with George Mason on Saturday in Fairfax, Va, the squad will take on St. Francis University in a non-Tait match on Friday in Loretto, Pa.
