MEDAILLE MEN'S VOLLEYBALL WINS SECOND CONSECUTIVE NEAC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP

Medaille College followed up their fifth consecutive AMCC regular season men's volleyball title by winning the NEAC championship.

For the second straight season, the Medaille College Men's Volleyball team found themselves hosting the North Eastern Athletic Conference Championship Game, looking to become the first back-to-back champions in conference history. After dropping a thrilling first set the Mavericks rallied back, taking each of the next three to complete a perfect NEAC season and claim their second straight NEAC Tournament Championship.
 
Set number one was a battle for both sides, each team rising to the occasion and looking to grab the tournament title. Midway through the opening set the largest lead either team held was two, when a Ryan Gloff kill put SUNY Polytechnic up (13-11). The Wildcats lead stayed at two until consecutive kills by sophomore MB Sam Bloomberg and freshman MB Brad Schneider knotted things up at (15).
 
That's when each side decided to go on a run; the Mavericks answering a (3-0) SUNY Poly run with one of their own as the two top seeds set up a sprint to the finish for the right to take the lead. Kills by Bloomberg, senior OH Jack Hagerty, and junior MB Pete McKelvey were not enough for Medaille, as the Wildcats rode a (7-3) advantage at the end to take set one (25-21).
 
The Mavericks hit well in the opening set (.241); however, SUNY Poly hit an impressive (.320) as a team and the Wildcats took a (1-0) edge into set number two.
 
Medaille came out of the gates firing in the second set, jumping out to a quick (7-3) lead. The Mavs took advantage of a number of attack errors by the Wildcats; with SUNY Poly committing (7) in the second frame compared to Medaille's (1).
 
McKelvey (2), senior OH Nate Schneider (2), and junior RS Calvin Crosby (3) all had multiple service aces in the second set, as the Mavericks took a hold of the set and never let it go. The Mavericks used runs of (4-0), (5-0), and (6-0) to overwhelm the Wildcats en route to a (25-10) victory. Medaille's defense shut down SUNY Poly to tie the game at one, holding them to a team hitting percentage of (.000) while hitting an incredible (.429) themselves.
 
The Mavericks defense continued to stifle the Wildcat attack in set number three, holding SUNY Poly to a (.000) hitting percentage for a second straight set. However, some early miscues by the Mavs helped the Wildcats get an early lead.
 
SUNY Poly was up by as many as three points early on; that was until a (6-2) burst by the Mavericks turned a (10-7) deficit into a (13-12) lead. The Wildcats were able to briefly regain the lead; however, Medaille closed out the third set by claiming (10) of the final (14) points for a (25-19) victory.
 
The third set win left the Mavericks just one set away from reclaiming the NEAC crown, but SUNY Poly made sure that it wouldn't be easy.
 
The Wildcats took advantage of (10) hitting errors by Medaille in the fourth and final set, making sure they were always within striking distance of the NEAC Regular Season Champs. A number of those attack errors came after Medaille held a (9-5) advantage, helping SUNY Poly cut a four point deficit to one.
 
The Mavericks went on a couple of (3-0) runs, but every time they did the Wildcats found a way to claw back. SUNY Poly climbed all the way back to tie it at (19) when Bloomberg, who was named NEAC Tournament MVP, took over.
 
Bloomberg and Nate Schneider stopped the Wildcat momentum with a huge block on Gloff, once again giving Medaille the lead. With the lead sitting at just one (22-21), Bloomberg gave the Mavs all the momentum it needed with back-to-back monster kills that helped Medaille close out set four (25-21).
 
Crosby (4), Hagerty (7), McKelvey (7), Nate Schneider (8), and Brad Schneider (9) all had multiple kills for the Mavs in the championship effort. Brad Schneider and fellow freshman S Matt Dempsey both chipped in with (18) assists each, while Crosby had a monster game with (6) service aces.
 
Senior L Joe Hacherl led the team defensively with (14) digs; but it was Bloomberg who had (10) kills, (3) digs, and (4) total blocks in the Championship Match that earned him Most Valuable Player honors.
 
The win ensured that Medaille finished 2016 with an unblemished NEAC record, as they end the season with an overall record of (25-9).