Jersey City, N.J. (4/7/13) – The Kean University men's volleyball team posted two wins in the final day of regular season competition, earning the regular season Skyline Conference crown and the top seed in the upcoming Skyline Conference Tournament.
Kean, ranked #14 in the latest AVCA Division III Top 15 Poll, won its 11th consecutive match and improved to 23-7 (13-1 Skyline) and captured its second consecutive Skyline Conference regular season championship and the right to host the league's semifinals and final on April 13th.
The Cougars will face #4 New Jersey City University at 1 p.m. while #2 Sage College will square off against #3 Ramapo College at 3:30 p.m. The championship is set for 7 p.m.
In today's action, Kean topped both the College of Mt. St. Vincent and New Jersey City University in straight sets. NJCU fell to 19-14 overall (8-5 Skyline) while Mt. St. Vincent fell to 6-20 (3-9 Skyline).
In the first matchup of the day Kean cruised past the College of Mount Saint Vincent (25-14, 25-13, 25-11). The Cougars, who trailed just once during the match, were led by freshman Krzysztof Kucza with eight kills and a .583 percentage while senior outside hitter Steve Vahalla finished with six kills and a .455 percentage (6-1-11). Freshman setter Josh Haimann dished nine assists in two sets and landed five of Kean's 10 aces. The Cougars hit .338 as a team and limited the Dolphins to a negative attack rate at -.060 (19-23-67).
In the nightcap, The Cougars posted a 25-17, 25-21, 25-22 straight set win over host NJCU. Kean was paced by Vahalla (pictured left) who hit .348 with 11 kills. He also landed seven aces and added five digs and one solo block. The Cougars hit .267 as a team as five players had at least four kills. Sophomore setter Alex Barnhard distributed 30 assists adding four digs, three blocks (one solo) and two aces. Sophomore middle hitter Kyle Farley hit at a .385 pace with seven kills and five blocks.
