With only three games remaining before the Skyline Conference playoffs, the men’s volleyball team has put themselves in prime position for a playoff spot with their 16-8 record, including having gone 13-2 in Skyline competition. Their stretch of high-level play continued Tuesday night with their 3-0 victory over Yeshiva University.
Senior Brendan Edwards led the team with 19 kills throughout the game, followed by senior Reece Kirchofer with 10. Edwards tallied 43 total attacks throughout the game and also led the team with 21.0 points.
Junior and team captain JoJo Meyer tallied a team high 28 assists, followed by freshman setter Joseph Duca with 13. No other player on the team tallied more than two assists.
Only one of the three sets in the match were close, with the Roadrunners winning the first set 25-12, the second set 26-24 and the final set 25-11. The second set was put away with an ace by freshman Ryan Westrich.
As for Yeshiva, Jonathan Werta led the team with eight kills and 16 total attempts, while Andrew Pinchot and Eli Waxman were tied for the team lead with nine kills each. Werta also led the team with a .375 hitting percentage, and Waxman tallied a team high 16 assists.
The win moved the Roadrunners into third place in the conference, trailing only St. Joseph’s University Long Island (SJLI) and New Jersey City University (NJCU), who are both 14-1 in Skyline play. Ramapo still holds a solid lead over fourth place Purchase College, who is 11-5 in conference.
As the season comes to a close, the Roadrunners still have an opportunity to move up in the standings. Despite falling to SJLI twice this season, two of their final three games will come against NJCU.
Their next game comes Thursday night in Jersey City, and they’ll finish the season on Saturday traveling to Jersey City again to face both NJCU and Purchase in a tri-match at 1 p.m.
2024 has been one of the most successful seasons in program history, and the team has been led by Kirchofer, who has amassed a team-high 248.0 points. Kirchofer also leads the team in kills, total attempts and points per shot. Meyer has tallied a team-high 587 assists, and during the game against Yeshiva, Meyer surpassed 2,000 career assists.
As for the defensive side of the ball, freshman Anubis Roman has recorded a team high 38 blocks, and Kirchofer leads the team with 124 digs.
The Roadrunners will have their playoff positioning determined after this weekend’s games. If they manage to beat NJCU twice, they will be the second seed in the tournament. If not, they will likely stay in the third spot. The first round of the Skyline Tournament will take place on April 9, and Ramapo will host if they are a top three seed.
wjackso2@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of Ramapo Athletics
