MANHATTAN, N.Y. - April 5, 2019 - Powered by a dominant performance from first-year Devin Dzierba (Clarence, N.Y.), the Pratt Institute men's volleyball team defeated Cooper Union in a five set thriller (17-25, 25-13, 25-12, 17-25, 15-11) on Friday evening at Simon Baruch Middle School.
Dzierba set career-highs in points (31), and aces (18), to go along with 13 kills too. Hamza Hamdeh (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added a season-high in kills with 11, and Graham Rose (Northbrook, I.L.)Â was a force in the middle with four solo blocks. Setter Kris Patton (Holbrook, N.Y.)Â dished out a game-high 24 assists, and Ye Hu Hwang chipped in with 18 digs.
In the opening set, the Cannoneers found themselves trailing 24-13 before rallying four straight points, including two aces from Uddhav Kedia. The late rally wouldn't be enough as Cooper Union closed out the set at 25-17.
Pratt opened up fast in the second set, taking an 11-2 lead, off another ace from Kedia. A kill from Dzierba at 17-12 sparked a 5-0 run to push the Cannoneers lead to 21-12. Consecutive kills from Dzierba gave Pratt the victory, 25-13.
The third set was dominated by Pratt with a 9-1 run and a 10-1 run, and 12 service aces, as the Cannoneers won 25-12.
Cooper Union took a 12-6 lead early in the fourth set, forcing Pratt to call a timeout. Off an ace from Cooper Union, their lead grew to 19-7. Pratt responded with 4-0 run to cut the deficit to 21-14, but Cooper Union was able to hold off the Cannoneers and finish the set, 25-17.
In the fifth and final set, there were seven ties as both teams looked to capture the momentum. Pratt was able to capitalize on Cooper Union's mistakes to take a 14-11 lead, following two timeouts from the visitors. Off an assist from Patton, Dzierba secured his final kill of the match, as Pratt took the deciding set, 15-11.
Up Next: Pratt will travel to Hyde Park for their final match of the season, as they face the Culinary Institute of America on Sunday, April 7. The match is scheduled to start at 11:00 AM.
