UTICA, N.Y. – The Rivier men’s volleyball team completed the reverse sweep of SUNY Poly to secure the day two split at the SUNY Poly Invitational.

With the results, the Raiders own a record of 1-2, while the Eagles improved to 2-0 and the Wildcats fell to 1-3.

No. 3 Juniata 3, Rivier 0 (25-21, 25-11, 25-20)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Rivier opened the contest with a quick 4-1 run behind a pair of service aces from senior Bassam Awde.

Juniata found their momentum following four tied scores to take a 14-10 lead.

The Raiders answered the call behind kills from sophomore Cody Fitzpatrick and senior Matthew McCloskey, surging for a 6-2 run to tie the set, 16-16.

With Rivier ahead 20-18, the Eagles closed out the frame, 25-21, behind a 7-1 run.

Juniata carried their momentum into the second set, opening with a 5-0 run.

The Eagles hit .688 and held the Raiders to just three kills to take set two, 25-11.

The Raiders responded in the third set, staying within reach through the opening rallies.

First-year Everett Boyer sparked a 5-1 rally with a kill, with McCloskey and sophomore Cade Barron contributing kills as well to take an 11-9 lead.

The Eagles retook the lead at 15-14 and never lost it, taking the set 25-20 to secure the 3-0 match victory.

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN

McCloskey led the offense with five kills and a .417 hitting percentage…Fitzpatrick added five kills with two block assists.

Junior Justin Barish recorded a team-high nine assists.

Rivier 3, SUNY Poly 2

HOW IT HAPPENED

SUNY Poly opened the contest taking a three-point lead and maintained it through the first half of the set.

Cade Barron turned the tides with a kill, sparking a 5-0 run with that resulted in Rivier taking its first lead of the contest, 14-13.

Three tied scores later, the Wildcats went on a 5-0 run of their own to put themselves in a position to take a 1-0 match lead.

Junior Aidan Combs recorded three kills down the stretch, but SUNY Poly were able to capitalize late and took the first set, 25-22.

The Wildcats controlled the frame from the start, using an 8-2 run to build early momentum, 12-6.

SUNY Poly continued to fire on all cylinders throughout the second set maintaining a 10-point lead late.

Junior Tyler Dickinson recorded three kills down the stretch, with Cody Fitzpatrick and first-year Kenji Clark adding a kill each, but the Wildcats’ lead was too great, and the Raiders found themselves down 2-0.

Rivier flipped the script in the third set, hitting .556 as a team and Dickinson added six kills in the frame.

The Raiders got out to an 11-5 lead quickly with Clark and Matthew McCloskey contributing offensively.

SUNY Poly attempted a late comeback bid, cutting Rivier’s lead to five however, a 5-2 run capped off by a kill by Combs gave Rivier their first set win of the day.

Rivier carried its momentum into the fourth, jumping out to a 12-7 lead behind kills from four different Raiders.

SUNY Poly closed within 18-17, but the Raiders answered with a 4-1 stretch.

Rivier took advantage of late errors by the opposition to force a decisive fifth set.

Both teams traded scores through the opening rallies, but a 5-1 run by the Raiders would give them a two-point advantage at the switch.

Kills by Dickinson and Barron helped Rivier maintain their lead and secure the reverse sweep, 15-11.

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN

Clark led the offense with 14 kills, hitting a .565 hitting percentage, while adding two service aces…Dickinson followed close behind with 11 kills, hitting at a .600 clip, with six total blocks.

Barron led the team with assists with 28, followed by first-year Shawn Laduke with 15…Barron also had a team-high eight digs, with first-libero Luis Cruz contributing seven.

UP NEXT

The Raiders return to the court on Saturday, Jan. 17, for a road tri-match with Adrian and Curry. First serve is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Dr. Eleanor Meyerhoff Katz Gymnasium.

Above photo: Tyler Dickinson (13) was a key for the Raiders in their split on Sunday in Utica, N.Y. (Photo courtesy of Rivier Athletics