ORANGEBURG, N.Y. – In a five-set thriller, top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas won the fifth set, 15-8, en route to a 3-2 decision (25-18, 25-23, 26-28, 32-34, 15-8) over third-seeded Dominican to claim the ECC's first-ever Men's Volleyball Championship trophy at Dominican's Hennessy Center on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Spartans close the season at 11-12 overall while the Chargers finish 12-13.
St. Thomas Aquinas freshman outside hitter Kyran Versteegen, the ECC Player of the Year, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after totaling a tournament-high 49 kills, with a match-high 24 in STAC's 3-1 semifinal win over fourth-seeded American International and a match-high 25 against the Chargers.
(1) St. Thomas Aquinas 3, (3) Dominican 2
Box Score
St. Thomas Aquinas came out strong in the first set, pulling away in 13-13 tie by using a 5-0 run, to take a 1-0 lead after a 25-18 victory.
An evenly matched second set saw the largest lead for either team reach four points. The maroon and gold came out on top 25-23 to take a 2-0 advantage.
Dominican began the third set red-hot, scoring the first 10 points. STAC answered and went on a 19-8 run to take a one point lead. Both teams went back and forth down the stretch and the Chargers got the 28-26 victory to extend the match to a fourth set.
The fourth set saw the Chargers hold a late four point lead, but the Spartans came roaring back, using an 8-3 run to take a 21-20 lead. Both teams traded points until Dominican scored the final three to take the frame 34-32, squaring the match at two wins apiece.
A fifth and deciding set would be needed to settle the inaugural ECC Championship bout, and it featured the Spartans opening the scoring at 5-2. The Chargers fought back to tie things, but STAC ultimately went on a 10-3 run to secure its first tournament title in its first season of existence.
As a team, STAC recorded 64 kills compared to Dominican's 55. The Spartans also had a 11 blocks and 61 assists, while the Chargers tallied 13 blocks and 52 assists.
Versteegen paced the Spartans offense with a match-high 25 kills on Sunday; he also registered three service aces, nine digs and a solo block. ECC Setter of the Year Joaquin La Jara tallied 54 serve assists (10.8 assists/set), one kill, eight digs, two solo blocks and four block assists for the maroon and gold. Gabriel Vieira recorded 15 kills, along with a service ace, nine digs and a block assist while Andre Cippiciani tallied nine kills, three service aces, four digs, a solo block and a block assist on the day.
Recap courtesy of St. Thomas Aquinas College Sports Information