POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (January 26, 2019) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's volleyball team split a tri-match this afternoon, dropping the opener against host Vassar College before defeating Emmanuel College as the Scarlet Raiders begin their season at an even 2-2.

The Raiders return to action on Thursday when they host Baruch College in The Golden Dome for a 7 p.m. match.

Vassar 3, Rutgers-Newark 0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-20)
The Raiders struggled against the host Brewers as they quickly fell behind. In the first set, Vassar raced out to a 5-0 lead.

Unfortunately, the closest the visitors would get was 7-3 on a spike by rookie Elan Dorkhman.

The Brewers claimed a double-digit lead on three occasions with the last coming at 23-13.

R-N rallied with four consecutive points, sparked by a kill from sophomore Nicholas Arce-Cox, but it would not be enough as the hosts closed out the first with a 25-17 win.

The Scarlet Raiders remained within striking distance in the second stanza but could not take the lead. After falling behind 7-2, Newark reeled off four consecutive points featuring a winner by freshman Arvind Kumar and a pair of aces from sophomore Kyle Loesner.

Still, the visitors could not get back on level terms, consistently falling behind by six points before battling back to within one.

After the Brewers opened up a 19-13 edge, the closest the Raiders would get was three points with that gap last coming at 24-21 following a spike from Loesner as the hosts opened up a 2-0 lead for the match.

The third set featured three early ties and lead changes but it was again Vassar that took control, earning a 10-4 advantage.

Rutgers-Newark fought all the way back to within 17-15 which ended on a run of three consecutive Kumar winners, but it would not be enough as Vassar took the next five points and held off the visitors for a 25-20 set victory and sweep for the match.

Sophomore David Mrowko and Kumar led the Raiders with five kills apiece while Loesner added a team-best four digs and sophomore Travis Emenaker contributed 18 assists.

Rutgers-Newark 3, Emmanuel 0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-18)
The Scarlet Raiders turned the tables in their second match of the day, sweeping the Saints after a tough first set.

The opening stanza featured an incredible 11 ties and lead changes as neither side gained more than a three-point edge.

Trailing 17-15, R-N won the next four points on kills from three different players and an ace by sophomore Rob Long. Still, that would start a string of events that had the Raiders in front by two points on four separate occasions, only for Emmanuel to come back and tie it each time.

Finally, with the score knotted at 24-24, Loesner hit a winner and senior Brendon Frank ended the set with a spike of his own to get his team up 1-0 for the match.

The second set saw just two ties and two lead changes as the Scarlet Raiders turned a 10-8 advantage into a commanding 18-8 lead. R-N got three winners from Loesner and a pair of aces by Long during the stretch to put their squad in the drivers' seat.

The Saints would get no closer than seven the rest of the stanza as the Raiders gained a 2-0 advantage for the match.

In the final set, the teams remained close until the last few points as Rutgers-Newark turned an early 6-3 deficit into a 16-12 edge. Dorkhman, Kumar, and rookie Stefan Rodic each had at least two kills during that surge as they fought to put their team ahead for good.

The Raiders would not concede that advantage as they finished off a 21-18 lead with the last four points, including winners from three different players, to earn the sweep.

Dorkhman and Mrowko led the way with 10 kills each while Loesner chipped in nine. Junior Jake Connors racked up a match-high 16 digs and Emenaker orchestrated the offense with 41 assists on his side's 50 winners.