BROOKLYN -- Pratt Institute jumped out to a 2-0 match lead, and David Cutler threw down 13 of his match-high 33 kills in the fourth set in locking up the Cannoneers 3-1 victory over visiting Medgar Evers College Thursday night in non-conference men's volleyball play at the Pratt ARC.
Led by Cutler's .347 attack percentage (33 kills, eight errors, 72 attacks), the hosts hit .211 while holding the Cougars to a .167 attack, which stood at .090 through the first two sets. Cutler's 19 digs were also a match-high, while sophomore Brandon Ryan led all players with 39 assists.
For Medgar Evers, Jamal Chance led the way with his own double-double of 19 kills and 12 digs, while setter Angel Seda added 29 assists and eight digs. Cameron Bryan totaled six blocks in the setback.
The Cougars opened the night leading 4-3 before Pratt scored five straight with Will Wong serving in going up 9-5. While leading 20-13, back-to-back Cutler service aces -- two of his match-best five -- upped the hosts lead to 22-13 in Pratt's 25-15 win.
Two Cutler kills and another ace pushed Pratt out to an 8-2 lead in Game 2. A pair of Cannoneers attack errors forced a Jason Demas timout with the Cougars within 15-14, but Pratt scored four of five points starting with an Andreas Haji-Georgi service ace, and Wong and Cutler kills capped a 25-21 victory.
With Game 3 tied at 16-16, a Seda kill, Shaquille Miller ace, and a Chance kill forced a Demas timeout with Pratt down 19-16. Three different Cougars threw down kills capped with a Randy Jones spike in closing out the visitors' 25-19 third set win.
The Cannoneers jumped out to a 10-5 lead in Game 4 thanks to four straight points off of Haji-Georgi serves. After a Haji-Georgi service error, Cutler crushed three consecutive kills in taking a 21-14 lead, and a Cecil Clarke ball handling error later handed Pratt a 25-21 Game 4 triumph.
Haji-Georgi added 16 digs for the Cannoneers, while Haven Gordon and Matthew Valentine added four kills each.
Pratt returns to play on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the College of Staten Island.
