By River Mitchell
@rivermitchell27
With the final point of the game coming off of a Brennan Cutter kill, the Springfield College men’s volleyball team earned yet another win — but this one came with a trophy. The Pride won the International Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic, in front of their home crowd at Blake Arena. This also extended their win streak on the season up to seven with Lasell as the latest victim, beating them in straight sets (25-21, 25-17, 25-22).
“It’s really gratifying,” said first-year outside hitter Sam Levinson. “Our team obviously hosts this tournament every year, and it’s kind of an unwritten thing that you gotta win it if you host it. We’re really happy.”
Levinson made a big impact in the game, as well as many other players’ contributions to the victory. He had eight kills, tying teammate Ethan Walters for the team lead, while Walters also added a trifecta of aces. Middle blocker Chris Rouleau did his fair share of work with five aces and kills apiece, and Dylan Mulvaney dished out 26 assists.
“[We feel] super in sync,” Levinson said. “We have a really close bond as a team and that helps on the court.
The game started off good for the Pride, with Walters collecting the first two points for the Pride on two kills, and Mulvaney added an early ace. After falling behind 9-7 early in the set, the Pride started their rally.
Giancarlo Carrion delivered an ace, and Springfield controlled the rest of the set with Walters and Costley collecting three kills a piece and Levinson, Cutter and Rouleau all adding a pair. Mulvaney put in a strong defensive effort, with five digs to put the Pride up 1-0 early.
Just like the first, set two also began with a Walters kill. This time however, they never fell behind and had complete control of the set from start to finish. The Pride’s service stood out, with an impressive five aces in the set, three of which were from Rouleau. Walters also had four kills in the set, allowing Springfield to set themselves up with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Lasell gave Springfield a run for their money in the third set, but it came up just short. The Lasers went up 11-8, but the Pride erased that quickly, and both sides alternated points until the score was 16 apiece. That was when Springfield went for the dagger. The Pride unloaded on Lasell, scoring six straight to take a commanding lead.
Lasell countered with a late run of their own, scoring four in a row, but it was not enough. With the score at 23-21 Springfield, a Mulvaney kill paired with the Cutter kill to end sealed the deal for the Pride.
After the game concluded, Pride head coach Charlie Sullivan reflected upon the game.
“It’s a learning experience,” Sullivan said. “We played so well in one night, you gotta bring it out the next night. We’ll get better.”
Photo Courtesy of Springfield College Athletics