(Rochester, NY) – While much of the New York City area was being blanketed by the blizzard of 2006, the Mount Saint Vincent Men's Volleyball team escaped the poor weather and traveled to Rochester, New York for one of the most competitive tournaments in the nation this season at Nazareth College. With five of the nation's top-15 teams competing, the Nazareth College Tournament provided a young Mount Saint Vincent team with a litmus test for how they stack against competition deemed capable of competing for the National Championship in May.
While Mount Saint Vincent finished the weekend 0-3, the experienced they gained against the level of play they faced could be invaluable as the Mount aims for a bid to the NECVA playoffs later this season. The Dolphins opened play Friday with a 3-0 loss to D'Youville, the nation's 13th ranked team. While the Mount was swept 17-30, 22-30, and 21-30, senior Russell Butts (Long Beach, NY/Long Beach HS) turned in one his finest performances this season with 12 total blocks, two kills, and two service aces. Also enjoying an outstanding match for the Mount was steadily improving sophomore Arnold Ross (Wilton, ME/Mt. Blue HS), who turned in a team-high eight kills.
After an overnight stay in Rochester, the Mount returned to the court on Saturday when they faced Eastern Mennonite University, the nation's 12th ranked team. The Mount was swept once again, 22-30, 18-30, and 25-30, but their level of play had clearly risen. Butts had another fine match with seven kills, nine total blocks, and five digs, while Ross and junior Dan Williams (Brick Township, NJ/St. Rose) combined for 16 kills and 16 digs. Junior Matthew Reinhardt (Staten Island, NY/McKee/SI Tech) enjoyed his first double-double of the season with 25 assists and 15 digs.
The loss to Eastern Mennonite set the stage for one of the most exciting matches of the weekend as the Dolphins squared off with Villa Julie in a consolation match on Saturday afternoon. The match was nearly two hours of dogged determination for the Mount as they stormed back from an 0-2 deficit (26-30, 26-30) to win two straight (30-24, 30-19), and force a fifth and deciding game. While the Dolphins ultimately ran out of steam and dropped the final game, 7-15, their efforts against a solid Villa Julie team could be what resonates for the rest of the 2006 season. Reinhardt was simply sensational, registering a career-high 47 assists to go with 14 digs, seven total blocks, and five kills, while four Dolphins registered double-digits in kills. Williams, Ross, and freshman T.J. Pufahl (Bethpage, NY/Bethpage HS) each had double-doubles with Williams amassing 12 kills and 16 digs, Ross nailed a team-high 17 kills to go with 17 digs, and Pufahl had 10 kills and 16 digs. Butts also had an impressive match with 14 kills and eight total blocks.
Mount Saint Vincent heads to the road one more time before finally returning home for four home contests during a five-match span. On Wednesday, Feb. 15, the Mount will face NECVA Metro foe, New Jersey City University, before returning home Saturday to host a doubleheader with Bard and Cooper Union.
