Ranked atop the latest AVCA Division III National Coaches Poll and the top seed in the national tournament, Springfield improved to 28-1 as it beat New Paltz for the third time this season. New Paltz, which earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament field, had its season come to a close with a 21-7 record.
With the victory, Springfield advances to the NCAA Division III Championship Semifinals for the ninth time in program history, which will be played at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin this upcoming weekend. Springfield will square off against Stevens.
The Pride's offense continued to churn at an efficient rate, hitting .556 in the victory as Matt Lilley (Stony Brook, N.Y.) posted 31 assists and six digs. Brennen Brandow (Manorville, N.Y.) led all players with 12 kills, which came at a .471 clip, while Jarrett Anderson (San Jose, Calif.) tallied 11 kills, hitting .529. Giancarlo Carrion (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico) provided a great spark off the bench with three aces and Johjan Mussa Robles (Caguas, Puerto Rico) registered a match-best seven digs.
New Paltz was held to a .176 team hitting percentage, with Chris Shanley delivering a team-best eight kills. Cam Clark totaled 15 assists and Pat Wing had two blocks as the Hawks ended the night with just six digs.
After a back-and-forth start to the match, Springfield was able to gain an 8-6 lead after Anderson and Nate Reynolds (Baltimore, Md.) closed on the pin for a block. A kill from Wing would later even things up at 16-all, but Springfield rattled off the next three points, with Anderson finding room down the line for a kill in transition to force the Hawks into a timeout at 19-16. Consecutive aces from Carrion allowed the Pride to earn set point at 24-18 before New Paltz committed its eighth service error of the night for the 25-19 win. Springfield took just 12 swings in the first set, putting away nine kills at a .667 clip, including four from Brandow.
Even at 6-6 in the second, Springfield used a four-point burst to gain a 10-6 edge as Brandow produced a pair of kills and Carrion contributed his third ace of the night. Springfield would call for a timeout after New Paltz used an ace to tie things up at 19-all, but the Pride would get a sideout kill from Anderson to kickstart a set-ending 6-0 surge en route to another 25-19 win. New Paltz committed three attack errors down the stretch, with Lilley elevating for a solo block on set point. Hitting .588 in the frame as a team, Brandow contributed five kills for the Pride.
In the third, Brandow set the tone by hammering a kill out of the backrow for an early 5-1 lead. New Paltz would battle back to 16-14, but the Pride responded with a critical 5-0 burst, as Liam York (Kailua, Hawaii) muscled a ball down the line at 21-14. Brandow bounced his 12th kill of the night at 24-19 and Anderson sealed the three-set victory with a kill in system, his fourth of the stanza.
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