Box Score OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Rutgers University-Newark middle hitters
Cody Chidsey and
Nick Kuti dominated play in the middle as the Scarlet Raiders battled to a 3-2 Continental Volleyball Conference win against Stevenson in the Owings Mills Gym.
In the first meeting between the teams as member of the CVC, just two points separated the teams in the 25-22, 25-21, 21-25, 21-25, 15-12 marathon which lasted an hour and 46 minutes. The Raiders (13-7, CVC 6-1) left the fray with a 2-2 record in 5-set decisions this year while maintaining sole possession of second place in the league. The Mustangs (11-9, CVC 4-2) are all alone in third place in the 7-team conference.
Chidsey and Kuti combined for 41 kills, four solo blocks, nine blocking assists and a pair of aces to account for 51.5 of the Raiders' 81.0 points in the contest. Chidsey was unstoppable with career-highs of 31.5 points and 27 kills while hitting a blistering .600 (27 kills, 3 errors, 40 attacks). He added an ace, a solo block and a team-high five blocking assists. Kuti finished with career highs of 20 points and 14 kills while equaling his career best with seven total blocks on three solos and four assists. He also delivered one of the Raiders' four service aces.
Junior setter
Kevin McCandless posted a career-high 62 assists to help Rutgers-Newark hit .305 (64 kills, 21 errors, 141 attacks), came up with a match-high 14 digs and got in on four of the Raiders' 13 blocks.
Junior opposite
Travis Mintzer posted 11 kills and three blocking assists while sophomore outside hitter
Jack Fredricks contributed seven kills and a pair of blocking assists. Junior libero
Quocmy Nguyen tallied 10 digs and handled 32 serves with just one reception error.
Senior middle blocker Kyle Wisner paced the Mustangs with 13 points on 19 kills, an ace and a match-high six blocking assists while senior setter David Moler piled up 57 assists. Stevenson also got 14 kills and three blocking assists from sophomore middle blocker Nate Ellis and a dozen kills, an ace and two blocking assists from junior opposite Kyle Pottieger.
After the Raiders stormed out to a 2-0 lead in games behind 10 kills by Chidsey, Stevenson bounced back to level the match after four. The Mustangs took the third frame despite Chidsey pounding down eight kills on just nine swings.
In the fifth game, Chidsey went three for three on kill attempts and reserve outside hitter
Ricky Crumlish came through with three of his five kills as Rutgers-Newark hit .350 (7-4-21) and posted three blocks to get the victory. The Raiders put together a 4-1 run fueled by back-to-back kills by Kuti and Chidsey, a Mustang service error and a block by Chidsey and Fredricks to break a 6-6 tie and seize control for good at 10-7. Crumlish ended the night with a kill.
The Raiders are now 2-1 in CVC 5-setters, downing Thiel on Valentine's Day and Stevenson tonight while falling to league-leading Juniata on Feb. 24. NYU tripped up the Raiders in five in the Owings Mills Gym on Jan. 24 in a non-conference clash.
Rutgers-Newark is at No. 9 NYU on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and at Ramapo on Thursday at 6 o'clock for a pair of non-conference contests.
