UNION, N.J. (2/19/15) – The No. 2 Kean University men's volleyball team dominated No. 9 New York University in a 3-0 sweep at home on Thursday night. The Cougars improved to 13-0 on the season, while NYU sank to 5-3. It marks the third time this year that Kean has bested a team ranked No. 9 nationally, and is already their sixth win over a ranked foe this season.
NYU took an early 6-3 lead on Thursday night, but the Cougars forced three Violet errors and Jacob Kauffman sent a kill off a Violet and into the upper deck for Kean's first lead.
A few points later, Kauffman's ace made the score 10-7 Cougars.
NYU had trouble serving the ball to start; service errors accounted for four the first 11 Kean points. On the other side, the Cougars added another ace by Jared Warner to go up 13-8 and force an NYU timeout.
Kean stayed ahead as the teams split the next 16 points, but NYU closed to within one at 19-18. Yet another NYU service error allowed Kean to keep the advantage. With the Cougars close to victory, serving finally smiled on the Violets, as Chase Klein's ace got them back within one.
Bez Arslani's kill in the corner got Kean to 22, and another monster swing by the senior got the 23rd point as well. But NYU tied the score at 23 on a dual block, forcing a deuce situation. Colin LaPorte served an ace for the Violets that barely trickled over the net to get the visitors to set point, 24-23.
Two more NYU serving errors allowed Kean to stay in it, however. With Kauffman serving, Kean ripped off three-straight points - punctuated by another Arslani kill in the corner - to take the entertaining first set 28-26. The Violets finished with 11 service errors in the first frame.
Kean fed off of that momentum and took a 10-5 lead to start the second set. Kean kept that advantage through the next 10 points, with Arslani getting a huge solo block and a team-high four kills in the set.
The second was never close, as the Cougars pulled away for a 25-15 victory. Tommy Rosario also finished with four kills and added a pair of blocks in the second, and Kauffman served the set's only ace for Kean's 25th point. The Cougars' attack percentage rose from .250 to .550 in the second set.
Kean setter Ron Dunn had back-to-back blocks (including a solo) early in the third to get his team an early 5-2 lead. When NYU closed to within one, Arslani and Dunn both had kills to get the Cougars up again by three.
When NYU again closed to within one, Ed Jedziniak had a great cross-court kill and got a beastly block on the next point to keep the Violets at bay.
Once more the set followed the pattern: Kean up by three or four, NYU climbs to with one. The final time it happened, it was at 22-21. NYU commited an error and then Kauffmaun pounded one down to get to match point. Kaufman and Rosario teamed for a final block that put an end to the evening and delivered the victory.
Arslani once again led the Cougars with four kills in the set and had 13 in the three-set match. Dunn quarterbacked the Kean attack to the tune of a .400 team hitting percentage and dished out 25 total assists. Senior Kyle Farley finished with three kills and two blocks, while his classmate John Cunningham (pictured left) led the team with six digs as the libero.
Nick Benson led all players with 14 kills on the night for the Violets.
The Cougars will have the weekend off before heading to York College of New York for a midweek matchup on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
