UTICA, N.Y.—The fifth seeded SUNY Potsdam men's volleyball team (12-18) nearly rallied in the fifth set before falling 3-2 at fourth-seeded SUNY Poly (13-16) on Tuesday evening in the New England Collegiate Conference Quarterfinals. Senior outside hitter
Joe Zimmerman (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) led the Bears, matching his and the program's record with 24 kills along with three aces and nine digs.
The Bears stormed to a 25-23 set one victory before falling 25-17 in set two. They claimed a 25-20 win in set three and bowed 25-23 in set four. The Wildcats opened a 5-1 lead in set five, but Potsdam rallied to get within one multiple times before being edged 15-13.
Junior outside hitter
Zaire Rogers (Cheektowaga, N.Y./Cheektowaga) registered 11 kills for the Bears. Sophomore middle
Jason Hendler (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) finished with six kills and two blocks. Senior setter
Alec Roy (North Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda) had 38 assists, nine digs and two blocks. Junior libero
Kiernan Morgan (Lynbrook, N.Y./Valley Stream North) contributed nine digs and three aces and senior libero
Keven Sanchez (Watertown, N.Y./Watertown) totaled a contest-best 17 digs.
Jason Aubrey led the Wildcats with 15 kills, four blocks and an ace. James Mion had 10 kills, 13 blocks and two aces. Garrett Hassard and Matthew Russo each compiled nine kills and Hassard added four aces. Nathan Farnham had a match-high 42 assists along with eight digs and seven blocks. Andrew Bertino finished with 12 digs and Jacob Wicher had 10.
In just its second season, the program great success. The Bears led the NECC in kills, assists and digs. The Bears easily established a new single-season (12) and consecutive wins (7) mark. They saw two players earn all-conference honors in Zimmerman (first team) and Morgan (sportsmanship). Potsdam also earned its first postseason berth. The Bears say goodbye to Sanchez, who leads the NECC in digs, but the rest of the roster returns. The team can look ahead to the 2023 campaign with great confidence.
