Riverdale, N.Y. – The College of Mount Saint Vincent Men's Volleyball team had its drive for back-to-back Skyline Conference Championships stopped on Sunday afternoon with a 3-2 loss to second

Rob Hockenjos totaled 36 kills over two matches in the Skyline Tournament on Sunday.

seeded Bard. The Raptors took the tightly contested championship match by scores of 21-30, 30-22, 31-29, 13-30 and 15-12. Senior Rob Hockenjos (West Hempstead, N.Y.) 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.

 

In the semifinal against Sage, junior David Guerrero (East Meadow, N.Y.) led all players with 18 kills and also lifted a match-high 14 digs for the Dolphins. Hockenjos picked up 16 kills in the win and also led Mount Saint Vincent with three total blocks.

 

Michael Quinn (Wantagh, N.Y.) handed out 44 assists in the semifinal matchup to go along with seven defensive digs. Michael Sin (Hicksville, N.Y.) also lifted seven digs for the Mount and led the team with three service aces.

 

Sage got eight kills from Jed Kubisch in the match and Anthony Gerace handed out 22 assists for the Gators. Kyle Ray also had a solid match with seven winners and a team-high 12 digs in Sage's first ever Skyline Conference Tournament appearance.

 

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 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. Overall the Dolphins finished with 67 kills in the match and 10 service aces.

 

Four Mount Saint Vincent players finished with at least 10 kills against Bard, with Hockenjos leading the way with his 20. Guerrero posted 18 more kills, while Chris Bachhi (Hicksville, N.Y.) added 15 and Matt Krauszer (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) finished with 10. Hockenjos also lifted 10 digs for the Dolphins in the final.

 

Quinn handed out 54 assists in the championship round and also tied for the team lead in digs with 12. Krauszer and Sin matched Quinn with 12 digs in the contest, with Sin adding three more service aces.

 

Bard proved to be too much in the end with a pair of players recording triple-doubles on the day. Nick Chan totaled 15 kills, handed out 24 assists and posted 12 digs in the match, while Henry Schenker totaled 13 kills, 23 assists and a match-high 16 digs. Schenker was named the Tournament MVP following Bard's win.

 

Although the Dolphins held the edge in kills and aces against Bard, the Raptors held a large advantage in total team blocks. Bard finished with 11 on the day, including 14 block assists. Mount Saint Vincent finished with four with Krauszer posting two total blocks.

 

The split on Sunday moves Mount Saint Vincent to 14-13 overall on the season. The Dolphins will return to NECVA Metro Division play on Monday night when they travel to New Jersey City University. The match with the Gothic Knights is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.