New York, NY | The College of Staten Island men’s volleyball team got back on the winning side of the ledger this afternoon, posting a 3-0 winner over Yeshiva University at the Max Stern Center as part of non-conference play. Individual set scores were 25-9, 25-16, and 25-17. The win moved CSI up to 5-12 overall this season, while the Maccabees fell to 3-14.
CSI’s intro to the afternoon’s contest could not have been better, as they rode a 10-0 start en route to a one-sided opening set. Christian Dumadag posted a pair of kills in the run, while Adil El Haddad tallied three service aces. Michael Liang’s two aces gave CSI a 16-1 lead at one point, and Tairou Diaman added a kill late to ice the set.
Just as CSI started the opening set, Yeshiva raced out to a serious lead in the second set, using a Derek Orenshein kill to help spark an early, 6-1, advantage. The Dolphins came back, however, and used a 9-2 answer to take a 10-8 lead. Shemuel Arthurs tied the score at 7-7, and Zebin Guo followed with a kill and from there, CSI never trailed. An attack error cut CSI’s lead to 17-15, but the Dolphins would finish on an 8-1 run, powered by a pair of kills each by Arthurs and Guo to steady the 25-16 win.
In the final set, again the opening runs played a factor as CSI opened up on a 5-0 tear. Later, two Steven Caruso kills gave CSI a 12-4 advantage, and that gave CSI all the momentum it needed in a 25-17 win. Guo would have two kills near the end before Caruso ended it on yet another kill he would garner in the final set.
Arthurs led the final count for CSI with six kills in the balanced attack, followed by five each from Guo and Caruso. El Haddad finished with five aces and 28 assists, while Guo and Liang each tallied 13 digs to lead the way defensively. Orenshein garnered five kills for Yeshiva, while Isaac Pomerance led the Maccabees with 15 assists and 12 digs.
Up next for CSI will be their final CUNYAC test of the season on Tuesday, April 3, at 7pm at The Tank in Staten Island.
