ASTON, Pa. — Despite a trio of double-double efforts, the Pratt Institute men's volleyball team battled in a five-set thriller on Wednesday night, trading blows with Neumann University before falling 3-2 (22-25, 27-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-12) in a United East Conference showdown at The Mirenda Center.
Senior Max Wang (Shenzhen, China) had a spectacular night for the black-and-gold, posting a massive double-double with a match-high 22 kills, 15 digs, and four service aces. Griffin Benkovszky (Ashland, Va.) was a highly efficient force, slamming 18 kills on an impressive .324 hitting percentage.
Setter Nathan Kim (Irvine, Calif.) also recorded a double-double, expertly guiding the offense with 47 assists while adding 13 digs and four aces. Brooks Reid (Winston Salem, N.C.) rounded out the trio of double-doubles with 10 kills and 10 digs. The defense was solid all around, with Raymond Liang (Queens, N.Y.) collecting 12 digs.
Pratt (5-11, 2-3 United East) captured the opening set 25-22, using a key 6-0 run on Arturo Mata's (Chicago, Ill.) serve to build a lead they would not relinquish. Neumann responded in a marathon second frame that featured 15 ties and seven lead changes, with Pratt fighting off two set points and unable to convert on one of their own and the hosts edging out a 27-25 victory to even the match.Â
The Knights carried that momentum into the third, using their strong net presence to build a lead and hold on for a 25-22 win. Facing elimination, the Cannoneers showed their resilience by storming back to win the fourth set 25-22, using a 10-4 run midway through the set to powered by a pair of kills from Benkovszky and a pair of aces from Kim to force a decisive fifth frame.
Pratt built an early 5-3 lead in the fifth before Neumann responded with a 5-2 spurt to lead at the side change and maintained their separation from there. The Cannoneers closed to within 13-11 late on a Wang kill but the Knights closed out the two-hour, 11-minute marathon featuring 36 ties and 21 lead changes.
Neumann (3-9, 1-2 United East) was powered by a tremendous performance from Trey Edmonds, who finished with a match-high 26 kills to go along with 12 digs and four aces. Isaiah Thomas added a double-double of his own with 13 kills and 16 digs, while setter Noah Banaag dished out 45 assists.
After four straight on the road, the Cannoneers return to the ARC for their next United East contest on Saturday, March 14, hosting Immaculata University. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m.
