BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The Pratt Institute men's volleyball team won a thrilling third set but ultimately fell to Lehman College, 3-1 (25-23, 25-16, 21-25, 25-21), in a tight non-conference affair on Tuesday evening at the Activity Resource Center.
Senior Max Wang (Shenzhen, China) assembled a spectacular performance for the Cannoneers, finishing with a massive double-double of 15 kills and a career-best 22 digs – both match-highs. Morvens Regis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was also a force, tallying eight kills and a team-high five blocks.
Griffin Benkovszky (Ashland, Va.) contributed seven kills and eight digs. Matthew Zhang (Guangzhou, China) orchestrated the offense with 27 assists while adding six digs and three service aces. Arturo Mata (Chicago, Ill.) was strong from the service line with three aces to go along with five kills and nine digs.
Pratt (2-6) rallied in the opening set after falling behind by as many as six and used a 7-1 run to take a 22-21 lead before Lehman regained control of the set winning the final four of five points to take the frame and went on to pull away early in the second for a 2-0 set lead.
The Cannoneers stormed back in the third racing out to a 6-1 lead and never trailing powered by Wang's five kills in the set.
Pratt carried the momentum in to the fourth in a see-saw set that saw nine ties and four lead changes. With the set tied at 21-all and the Cannoneers threatening to force a fifth set, Lehman ran off four straight points to close out the match.
Lehman's (3-7) victory was fueled by a 14-9 advantage in total blocks. The Lightning had a balanced attack, with Almir Pepic, Enea Doci, and Jordan Johnson each recording nine kills. Pepic added a match-high four aces and six blocks, while Oscar Calderon was a wall at the net with eight blocks.
The Cannoneers continue a busy week with three matches in five days make a short road trip to face the University of Mount Saint Vincent tomorrow evening in Riverdale, N.Y.. The match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.
