Orangeburg, NY - The University of Mount Saint Vincent kicked off the 2024 season on Thursday afternoon on the road, taking on Dominican University with their sights set on a victory. The Dolphins, who reached the Skyline Conference tournament for the first time since 2018 last year, dropped the season opener in three sets by the scores of 25-13, 25-19 and 25-13. Despite the loss, head coach Harris Boyes saw numerous contributions across his roster against the Division-II opponent. 

Five different Dolphins recorded kills in the action, with senior hitter Kevin Erhand leading the charge with nine. The Rockaway Beach, New York native enters 2024 as arguably the team's top hitter and looked the part on Thursday. Olatomiwa Ibitayo impressed with a .400 hitting percentage and five kills while Kyle Thompson added five kills of his own. Tristen Hood entered his second season with the program and collected two kills and an assisted block, and setter Matthew Barranacos added 17 assists and seven digs, both team highs. 

The Dolphins found a majority of success in the second set, where they topped the Chargers throughout multiple portions of it. UMSV continuously led by three points in the early goings, with Erhand, Olatomiwa and Barranacos all chipping in points before Dominican found their way back on top. 

The contest serves as a warmup for the rest of the season. The Dolphins we use the next 10 days to prepare before challenging both John Jay College and Saint Elizabeth University in a tri-match hosted by the Bloodhounds.