BROOKLYN – Pratt Institute (6-5, 2-2 HVIAC) moved into a tie for second place in the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a convincing 3-1 win at local league rival St. Joseph's-Brooklyn (8-8, 2-2) in men's volleyball play Thursday night at The Hill Center.
Cannoneers sophomore David Cutler turned in his finest performance of the season to date, leading all players with 27 kills on 50 swings, erring only twice for a match-high .440 attack percentage. He was aided by fellow outside hitter Alex Arsovski, who hit a nearly equally electric .419 with a season-high 16 kills. Brandon Ryan handed out 48 assists, easily the most of his freshman campaign, leading a Pratt offense that hit .353.
With the match tied 1-1, a pivotal 9-2 Pratt run midway through the third set was the difference, as the Clinton Hill rivals now sit tied at 2-2 in HVIAC play.
The teams traded leads in the early going of Game 1 before three Arsovski kills over a 6-3 run widened Pratt's lead from 18-17 to game point at 24-20. The Bears responded with two Norrin Martinez service aces followed by two Raul Urshela kills, swinging the lead in St. Joseph's favor at 25-24. Following a Jason Demas timeout, Cutler threw down two kills from Ryan, and a Martinez ball handling error handed Pratt a 27-25 win in the opener.
An Arsovski kill knotted the second set at 8-8, but it would be the game's last tie, as the Bears scored six of the next nine capped by a Thomas Kennedy service ace that put the hosts ahead 14-11. Kills from Cutler and Arsovski cut the margin to 14-15, but St. Joseph's answered with a 6-1 run capped by a Taso Kostikas kill and went on to win 25-19.
Like the first set, the teams traded leads early on, with a Matthew Valentine kill snapping an 11-11 tie. A Chris Fantin ace and a pair of Bears errors gave Pratt a 15-11 lead before consecutive Arsovski kills upped the margin to 18-13, forcing a St. Joseph's timeout.
More of the same resulted. A Bears error then Cutler and Arsovski kills carrying the lead to 20-13, capping a 9-2 run in extending the lead to 20-13 in the Cannoneers 25-16 victory. Cutler and company hit a sweltering .542 for the set, holding St. Joseph's to a match-low .095 on the attack.
With the fourth set tied 6-6, Pratt rattled off four straight, crowned by a Ryan ace that forced a St. Joseph's timeout with the Cannoneers rolling 10-6. The Bears cut the margin to three on three occasions, including at 16-13 on an Urshela kill, but as the visitors did all night, the Pratt met St. Joseph's rallies with a response, this time with Connan Moody and Cutler spikes extending the lead to 18-13.
Pratt looked poised for another easy win, this one for the match, ahead 20-15 before a pair of errors and a Kennedy kill saw the Bears climb to within 20-18. Cutler came back with a kill upping the lead back to three, but the teams exchanged errors until an Urshela kill made it a one-point game, 24-23. As was the case to close the door on the Cannoneers Game 1 win, a Martinez ball handling error thwarted any potential Bears comeback, handing Pratt a 25-23 victory.
The win moves the Cannoneers back above .500 at 6-5, with the Bears falling to 8-8.
For St. Joseph's, Urshela totaled 15 kills on 33 swings for a .333 attack percentage, and Martinez set up 33 assists.
Pratt remains in HVIAC play tomorrow night, traveling to Webb at 7:30.
