STATEN ISLAND, NY – Pratt Institute men's volleyball improved to 5-3 with a thrilling 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 25-18, 15-25, 17-15) victory at the College of Staten Island Thursday night in non-conference men's volleyball play.
Trailing 14-13 in the deciding set, junior Jeff Yang's service ace retied the game at 14-14, and Pratt outlasted the hosts for a thrilling 17-15 win.
Cannoneers outside hitter David Cutler led all players with 29 kills, 18 digs, and a .232 attack percentage. Middle hitter Matthew Valentine narrowly missed his own double-double, adding nine kills and 10 digs,
"David had a variety of shots working throughout the day, and Matt also played really well," said third-year head coach Jason Demas.
Setter Brandon Ryan led the Pratt offense with 29 assists as the Cannoneers outhit the Dolphins .104 to .084. Andreas Haji-Georgi totaled 12 digs and a team-best two service aces.
The win improved Pratt to 4-0 in matches that go four or more sets and was the team's only five-set match on the season.
For the College of Staten Island, now 7-17, Brandon Lei tossed a match-best 40 set assists. Song Shin Low and Khaliq Baum tied for team high honors with 16 kills each, with both players added nine digs.
Winners of three of four, Pratt returns to play at Yeshiva University on Monday at 8:00 p.m. When the teams last met in the Cannoneers season opener February 11 in Brooklyn, Pratt bested the Maccabees 3-0.
