Springfield, Mass. - February 20, 2015 - Springfield College and Harvard University advanced to the championship game of the 28th Annual Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic in Blake Arena on Friday night. The host Pride knocked off Rivier in four sets, while Harvard rallied past Concordia Irvine in the first semifinal.

The championship match will be play on Saturday at 7:30, while the consolation will take place at 5:30 pm.

This marked the sixth-straight year that Springfield has won a match in the Classic, which is regarded as the premier men's collegiate tournament on the East Coast.  It is also the fourth-straight year that the Pride has reached the championship match.

Joseth Irizarry Feliciano (Adjuntas, Puerto Rico) had the best match of his young career off the bench, tallying seven kills at a .545 clip to go along with seven blocks.  Classmate Ricardo Padilla Ayala (San Juan, Puerto Rico) delivered 12 kills and a match-high 11 digs, and Ryan Malone (Chicopee, Mass.) chipped in 12 kills of his own. Keaton Pieper (Dallas, Texas) ran the offense with 40 assists, five digs, and four blocks and Matthew Peretto (Vallejo, Calif.) picked up 10 digs.

Rivier was led by Chris Markuson, who tallied 13 kills and nine digs in the loss.  Both Matt Tutino and Sam Kazlas added seven kills and Tyler Blank had 32 assists.  After combining for 27 kills through the first two sets, the Raiders managed just 12 kills in the final two sets on the night.

The Raiders offense came out on all cylinders, delivering 10 early kills on 16 errorless attempts to take a 15-9 lead.  However, three-straight Rivier attack errors would bring the Pride within 15-12, only to have the visitors answer with five-consecutive points to take command of the set for good. The Pride was limited to just five kills in the opening set and hit -.074, while after a set-clinching kill from Blank, Rivier closed out the opening game, 25-17.

With the score knotted at 11-all, Springfield's defense came alive, getting sensational digs from Pieper and Angel Perez (Naranjito, Puerto Rico) to fuel a burst that gave them a 14-11 lead and forced Rivier into a timeout.  Springfield didn't let up, pushing its lead to 19-12, a run that was highlighed by an ace from Padilla Ayala.  The Raiders battled back to within 22-19, but thanks a .400 team hitting percentage in the set, Springfield held on for the 25-20 win.

Springfield fell behind 8-3 in the third set after three-straight aces from Tutino.  The Pride slowly chipped away at the lead, using a 15-7 run to earn an 18-15 advantage following a Malone kill.  The Raiders climbed within 20-19 after a Marksuon kill, only to have back-to-back kills from Perez give the Pride breathing room at 22-19.  Irizarry Feliciano and Pieper combined for two stuffs down the stretch, including a set-clinching block to give Springfield the 25-20 win.  Irizarry Feliciano provided the spark in the frame for the Pride with four kills and three blocks.

With the score tied at five all, consecutive blocks from Jason Mascoe (Uniondale, N.Y.) kickstarted a 10-3 surge that put Springfield in control with a 15-8 cushion.  A huge block from Malone and Irizarry Felicano gave the Pride match point, and Perez bounced an overpass for the win to bring the home crowd to its feet. The visitors could only muster five kills and hit -.160 in the frame.

Harvard 3, Concordia Irvine 1

The Harvard men's volleyball team defeated Concordia Irvine in four sets on Friday evening in the first match of the 2015 Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic in Springfield College's Blake Arena.  The Crimson won by the scores of 17-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-19.

Branden Clemens was tremendous for Harvard in the win, delivering 14 kills at a .500 clip to go along with four blocks.  Caleb Zimmick pitched in seven kills and a match-high nine blocks.  Nick Bendell ran the Crimson offense with 34 assists and Samuel Murphy was credited with nine digs.  Harvard hit .260 in the match and outblocked Concordia Irvine, 15.0-4.0.

The Eagles were paced by a 14-kill, three-ace effort from Timothy Moses, while Timothy Chapel added nine kills of his own.  Joseph Pillon handed out 24 assists, Griffin Ender registered a match-high 11 digs.  Concordia Irvine was limited to just a .154 hitting percentage on the night.