BROOKLYN -- Pratt overcame 1-0 and 2-1 match deficits to escape with a 3-2 victory in the Cannoneers home opener over Cooper Union Friday night at the ARC.
Cannoneers freshman David Cutler led all players with 25 kills on 80 attempts, and setter Chris Fantin handed out a match-high 36 assists. Sophomore middle hitter Connan Moody led Pratt with a .188 hitting percentage at the Cannoneers evened the team's record at 2-2.
Trailing two games to one, back-to-back Alex Arsovski kills and a Hawks ball handling error gave Pratt an 11-6 lead in Game 4. An Arsovski ace and a Cutler kill later helped put Pratt on top 15-7, and the Cannoneers held on for a 25-21 win in forcing a deciding set.
Pratt took control of Game 5 from the outset, using a pair of Moody kills and another pair from Cutler around another Arsovski ace to take a 5-1 lead. A mini 4-1 run capped by kills from Kevin Shi and Tony Pun pulled Cooper Union to within a point at 9-8, but a pair of Hawks errors around a Cutler kill provided some breathing room for the Cannoneers with a 12-8 lead.
Three straight Hawks points brought the visitors to within 14-12, and after a timeout from Pratt head coach Jason Demas, Fantin set Moody up for a kill to close out the set and the match, evening the Cannoneers record at 2-2 on the season.
Cooper Union's Matthew Lee led all players with a robust .415 attack percentage three solo blocks and three block assists.
Pratt returns to play Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at the ARC, playing host to Brooklyn's Medgar Ever College.
