BROOKLYN -- Pratt Institute improved to 4-2 on the season with victories over Cooper Union and the Culinary Institute of America Saturday afternoon in a non-conference men's volleyball doubleheader at the ARC.
Match 1 | Pratt 3, Cooper Union 1: David Cutler led all players with 28 digs, 26 kills on 64 attacks for a .250 attack percentage, and Pratt bested Cooper Union 25-23, 25-16, 23-25, 25-20. Matthew Valentine added 10 kills and four digs, and setter Brandon Ryan's 37 assists led all players.
As a team, Pratt hit .203, including .226 in its 25-16 Game 2 win, while holding the Hawks to a .077 attack.
For Cooper Union, Jeffrey Tam led the team with 13 kills, while Stephen Leone added eight kills and a match-high .214 attack. Justin Posiero tossed 35 assists, and Leone's two service assists led all players.
Match 2 | Pratt 3, Culinary Institute of America 1: As the team did against Cooper Union, the Cannoneers earned wins in the first two sets before dropping Game 3 by two before bouncing back to seal the match in the fourth (25-9, 25-17, 24-26, 25-19).
Cutler again led all players with 26 digs, 19 kills and a .150 attack percentage, and Valentine added six kills. Haven Gordon and Cutler teamed for three block assists each in tying for match-high honors, and Andres Haji-Georgi totaled 11 digs in the win.
The Cannoneers hit a scorching .455 in the team's 25-9 Game 1 win, with five kills on 11 error-free swings, but cooled off to his .127 on the match. Stifled by Pratt's six total blocks, the Steels hit -.042 as a team, accumulating a positive attack percentage only in the team's narrow Game 3 win.
Zach Brown led Culinary with 12 kills and finished his double-double with 10 digs. Derek Polay fired a match-best five service aces, and Connor Rand led the Steels with 15 digs.
Pratt returns to play on Thursday at intra-borough rival St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) College.
