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Men's Volleyball

Bard tops Mount Saint Vincent, 3-2, to capture Skyline Conference Men's Volleyball Championship

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Senior Henry Schenker recorded 13 kills, 23 assists and a match-high 16 digs to lead second-seeded Bard College to a 3-2 (21-30, 30-22, 31-29, 13-30, 15-12) victory over top-seeded Mount Saint Vincent on Sunday in the Skyline Conference men's volleyball championship match.

Schenker was selected as the tournament's Most Valuable Player after leading Bard (14-12) to its second Skyline title in the last three years.  Sophomore Nick Chan also recorded a triple-double for the Raptors, finishing with 15 kills, 24 assists and 12 digs.

Mount Saint Vincent (14-13) was paced by senior Rob Hockenjos totaled 36 kills over two matches on Sunday, including 20 in the final against Bard.

To reach the championship round on Sunday the Dolphins first had to defeat a feisty Sage squad in the first semifinal of the day. The Dolphins dispatched the Gators in three games by scores of 30-24, 30-24 and 30-17. Bard reached the final by battling past Yeshiva, picking up a 3-1 victory over the Maccabees.  The Raptors dropped the opening game and rallied from a 26-20 deficit in the third game to advance to the final.

 

After advancing with the win against the Gators, Mount Saint Vincent hooked up with Bard for the third straight season to decide the league championship. The two teams are the only two to appear in the championship match in the three year history of the event, with Bard capturing the crown in 2008 and now 2010.  The Dolphins swept the two regular-season matches, winning both 3-1, but both matches were close.

The Dolphins finished the match with 14 more kills and six more aces then the Raptors, but two more service errors and six more attack errors in the final proved costly for the Dolphins.

The teams traded the first two games with Mount Saint Vincent taking the first and Bard winning the second.  The Dolphins sprinted to a 7-1 lead in the third game before the Raptors rallied to pull even at 12-12.  Bard pulled out the third game to take a 2-1 lead, but Mount Saint Vincent easily won the fourth game, 30-13, forcing the deciding fifth game.  The Dolphins held leads of 9-6 and 11-10, but the Raptors closed the match by scoring five of the last six points with the last coming on kill by Schenker.

 

Four Mount Saint Vincent players finished with at least 10 kills against Bard, with Hockenjos leading the way with his 20. David Guerrero posted 18 more kills, while Chris Bachhi added 15 and Matt Krauszer finished with 10.