The NYU men's volleyball team could not overcome injuries and a strong effort from a pesky Sacred Heart squad. They fell to the Pioneers in straight sets (30-18, 30-19, 30-28).
The Violets, who dropped to 1-7 for the season and are 0-3 in EIVA Hay Division play, were without injured freshman outside hitters Cooper Gwaltney and Taylor Fauntleroy. The lack of firepower stemming from their absence was noticeable.
"Men's volleyball is all about kills," said Violets head coach Jose Pina. "We were without our two best hitters, and that hindered us throughout."
The Violets were also undone by mental mistakes. They got off to slow starts in the first and second sets due to miscommunications on defense. Mistakes also hurt the Violets at the end of the third set, as the Violets dropped the last three points of the match after taking a 28 to 27 lead.
"We didn't make smart plays," said Pina. "After we got to 26 [points] in the third set, we made a lot of mistakes."
The Violets hit fairly accurately, finishing with 40 kills and just 18 attack errors. But they attempted 105 attacks for a hitting percentage of .210, a number indicative of the lack of firepower on the court. Sacred Heart hit at nearly twice as high of a clip, converting 52 kills in 98 attempts for a .398 hitting percentage.
The Pioneers only made 13 attack errors, often content waiting for the Violets to make mistakes.
"They knew that we couldn't constantly put the ball down, so they took advantage and forced us to make plays," Pina said. "It's frustrating, but I can't fault them for their strategy. If they were the team without hitters, I would do the same thing."
Outside hitter Pat Dodd, who was thrust into the starting lineup due to the Violets' injuries, led NYU with twelve kills. Junior middle back Francis Hodgson, a regular starter, added 10 kills of his own on 28 attempts, while senior outside hitter Mike Ferragonio added eight kills on 21 attempts.
The Violets return to action on Saturday night when they host Springfield College (No. 3 AVCA Division III Coaches Poll) at 5 p.m.
