NEW YORK – Pratt Institute men's volleyball improved to 6-3 with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-23) win at Yeshiva University Monday night at the Max Stern Center.
Cannoneers outside hitter David Cutler led all players with 24 kills and 57 attacks, rounding out his double-double with 16 digs. Setter Brandon Ryan's 27 digs were a match high, and the sophomore added nine digs as Pratt bested the Maccabees for a second time in 2016.
The Cannoneers spotted Yeshiva a 5-0 lead thanks to a pair of early attack errors. A Cutler ace trimmed the lead to 7-5, and an Andreas Haji-Georgi ace pulled Pratt to within one, at 11-10. Three straight Cutler aces gave his team its first lead in closing out a 4-0 run that swung Pratt on top 17-14. Two Cutler kills ignited a 4-0 run that closed out the Cannoneers 25-20 opening set comeback.
Trailing 6-5 to open Game 2, back-to-back Brandon Ryan service aces sparked a 13-2 run that zipped the visitors on top 17-8. Two Matthew Rosenberg kills pulled Yeshiva to within 21-15 after four straight points, but a Matthew Valentine kill on a pass from Ryan closed out a 25-19 Cannoneers win.
A nip-and-tuck Game 3 was tied for the seventh time at 10-10 after a kill from the Maccabees Itai Guttman, but Pratt rattled off three straight on a kill from Haven Gordon, a Cutler ace and a Ryan kill, going up 13-10. With the set again tied at 17-17 after another Guttman kill, Pratt came out of its timeout with consecutive kills from Cutler. The junior totaled five kills from the 17-17 juncture on, and it again was a Valentine kill from Ryan that closed out the win, as Pratt hung on 25-23.
As a team, Pratt hit .162, while the Macs hit .117 on the attack.
For Yeshiva (4-17), Rosenberg led the way with a double-double of 10 kills and 12 digs, hitting a match-high .389.
Winners of four of five, Pratt returns to play on Wednesday at home at 7:30 p.m., taking on St. Joseph's-Brooklyn.
