Riverdale, NY - The University of Mount Saint Vincent men's volleyball team had a stretch of Skyline Conference contests over the last two days, as they hosted both Yeshiva University and Purchase College in a tri-match in Riverdale on Sunday before traveling to the city to take on the Maccabees Monday evening. The Dolphins walked away winners against both contests against Yeshiva and dropped a fantastic five-set matchup to the Panthers. The schedule improved UMSV's conference record to 3-4 ahead of a showdown against Old Westbury in the Sharp Center on Wednesday. 

The hitting duo of James Rose and Kyle Thompson shined in game one against the Maccabees, as the two combined for 24 kills (Rose registered 14, Thompson had 10). They did more than just that for head coach Harris Boyes, as Rose added seven aces while Thompson had six of his own. Sophomore setter Matthew Barrancos returned to the lineup for the Dolphins and did a tremendous job setting up for his teammates, as he added 26 assists in the win. Olatomiwa Ibitayo added 5.5 points in the win with three kills and a pair of blocks while Felix Paulino paced the Dolphins with six digs. 

The Dolphins went on six separate runs where they scored five or more consecutive points. The most impressive came at the end of the second set when Rose, Thompson and Barrancos each added kills to their stat line. 

The second contest against Purchase was one of the most competitive UMSV has had this season. Barrancos continued his strong play into game two, as his 44 assists are now a career high. Similar to Barrancos, both Rose and Thompson stood out, with Rose leading the way with 14 kills while Thompson tied senior Kevin Erhand for second with 12 kills each. Ibitayo once again shined defensively with four blocks while Erhard also added a team-high 10 digs. 

After dropping the first two sets, the Dolphins stormed back with back-to-back wins to force a fifth set. UMSV trailed by just one point over the first half, but the Panthers would go on a six point run to ensure the victory. 

The Dolphins would replicate their Sunday success just 24 hours later against the Maccabees, where they'd go on to win in three. It was the same players who stood out, too; Rose, Thompson and Erhand once again dominated the hitting game with double-digit kills while Barrancos added 31 more assists to go along with a team-best three aces. 

The Dolphins will look to even out their Skyline Conference record at 6 PM against the Panthers on Wednesday.