SPRINGFIELD, Mass., January 20, 2006 – Springfield College sophomore outside hitter Eric Palumbo (Rochester, N.Y.) registered a team-high 13 kills, while also adding four block assists and three digs, as the No. 5 Pride defeated No. 7 Rivier College, 3-1, Friday evening in Blake Arena.
After dropping the first game by a 30-21 margin, SC (2-0) responded, reeling off three games in a row (30-24, 30-20, and 30-24) to take the 3-1 victory. Sophomore setter Chris Shekell (Rochester, N.Y.) finished with a match-high 40 assists.
Sophomore opposite David Smietana (Buffalo, N.Y.) contributed to the win with 10 kills, four block assists, and three service aces. Freshman middle blocker Andrew Sipe (New Oxford, Pa.) had a solid match at net for the Pride, registering a match-best nine blocks, as sophomore libero Kyle Magoffin (Cheshire, Conn.) chipped in with seven digs.
For Rivier (2-1), the Raiders were led by senior middle hitter Andrew Chace with a match-high 21 kills. Senior setter Nhut Chau finished with 37 assists and 10 digs.
SC improves to 2-0 overall on the season as it next will travel to Sacred Heart for its Hay Conference opener on Wednesday evening, January 25, in a 7:00 p.m. start.
With eight national championships to his credit, Charlie Sullivan will enter his 16th season as head coach of the men's volleyball team in 2014. In 15 previous years at the helm, Sullivan owns an overall record of 256-158 for a .618 winning percentage. Read more.