The Medgar Evers College men's volleyball team dropped its season finale this past Sunday afternoon, falling to the Maccabees of Yeshiva University in straight sets by scores of 9-25, 15-25, and 20-25. With the defeat, the Cougars finalized their campaign at 0-17, while Yeshiva University completed its year at 2-26.
Despite the loss for the Cougars, Medgar Evers was paced by veteran Carlos Abreu, as the standout registered team-highs of six kills and 12 assists, while also leading all players with 11 digs. Louis Caiola added five kills and seven digs, and in his final career match for the program, Isaac Akindipe finished with five kills and six digs.
Yeshiva University was paced by Lavi Friedman, as he piled a match-best nine kills to go along with a team-high nine digs. Zanvy Lesnoy added five kills and three assists, and Eitan Cillo and Andrew Pinchot contributed four kills apiece. Setter Eli Waxman's 21 assists led all players.
The Maccabees jumped out to an early lead, cracking double digits after just over a dozen serves at 10-4. Friedman and Pinchot contributed two kills apiece during that early run. After Friedman committed an attack error to give Medgar Evers its fifth point, Yeshiva rattled off nine consecutive points, highlighted by Pinchot's two kills, to take a commanding 19-5 advantage. The Maccabees scored six of the final 10 points of the set to win it, 25-9.
Medgar Evers snatched an early 5-4 advantage in the second set thanks to a kill by Jerome Hodges and four errors by Yeshiva. Later, with the set tied at six apiece, Yeshiva scored six straight points to take a 12-6 edge. Jarrett Lazarus recorded two service aces during that aforementioned run, with Friedman smacking a kill.
Later, trailing 14-8, Medgar Evers scored three straight points with one kill apiece by Akindipe, Abreu, and Kadeem Hagley. That brought the Cougars to within three points (14-11). The Maccabees maintained that three-point edge, holding on to a 16-13 advantage before scoring five straight to up their lead to eight, 21-13. Down the line, Yeshiva led 24-15 before closing out the set Yaakov Baker kill. The Maccabees took a commanding 2-0 edge in sets with that aforementioned point.
In the most competitive set of the afternoon, Yeshiva led 9-8 before scoring eight of the next nine points to snatch a 17-9 advantage. Cillo registered two kills during that run, with Baker and Lesnoy adding a kill apiece. Later, with the Maccabees owning a 21-12 edge, the Cougars clawed back with three straight points, capped by a service ace by Abreu, to pull to within six (21-15). Service errors doomed Medgar Evers down the stretch, as three of the final four points scored by the hosts came via Cougars service errors – one apiece by Hodges, Caiola, and Kayshaun Higgs.
For the match, Yeshiva University swatted .205 (29-12-83), while the Cougars earned a hitting percentage of .014 (21-20-74). The Maccabees held a pivotal 12-1 edge in service aces for the evening, while also piling 27 assists compared to 16 for the visitors. Finally, it was Medgar Evers holding a 35-31 edge in digs.
