OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. — The Pratt Institute men's volleyball team battled in three highly competitive sets but was ultimately edged by Old Westbury, 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-21), in a non-conference road match on Thursday evening.
Pratt (2-5) went point-for-point with the hosts in each frame, while Old Westbury (3-1) defended its home court at the Clark Athletic Center.
Morvens Regis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had a standout performance for the black-and-gold, leading the team with 11 kills on a strong .333 hitting percentage and adding a team-best three blocks for a total of 14 points.
Senior Max Wang (Shenzhen, China) narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with nine kills and 10 digs. Griffin Benkovszky (Ashland, Va.) anchored the defensive effort with a team-high 11 digs to go along with six kills. Matthew Zhang (Guangzhou, China) handled the setting duties and dished out 22 assists.
The opening set was a back-and-forth battle that featured 12 ties, with neither team leading by more than a few points. The Cannoneers were tied with the Panthers as late as 23-23 before the hosts scored the final two points to take the frame. Pratt continued to fight in the second, rallying to pull within one at 22-21 before Old Westbury again closed out the set. The third frame saw the Panthers race out to an early lead and the Cannoneers rallied late, but couldn't close the gap..
Old Westbury was led by Julius Morales, who finished with a match-high 12 kills. Ashel Santos and Jason Giles added seven kills apiece, and setter Lucas Rogers orchestrated the balanced attack with 33 assists.
The Cannoneers return to the ARC to host Lehman College on Tuesday, Feb. 17. The match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.
