Hillburn, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Volleyball team opened the home portion of its inaugural season on Thursday afternoon, taking on Long Island University in a spirited affair inside of the Joseph T. St. Lawrence Community, Health and Sports Center at the Torne Valley Sports Complex.
Prior to the contest between the Spartans and Sharks, members of the St. Thomas Aquinas College administrative team, led by President Ken Daly, Vice President and Dean of Student Development Kevin Nesbitt and Director of Athletics Nicole Ryan, joined the 2024 squad on the court to commemorate the start of the college's 22nd NCAA Division II athletic program.
Once the match got underway, LIU took a straight sets victory from the maroon and gold, winning 25-18, 25-11 and 26-24 to improve to 1-3 on the year. STAC slips to 0-4 on the season, but continues to grow and learn how to play high-level, competitive collegiate volleyball with each and every set.
How it Happened
- The Spartans recorded double-digit kills in two of three sets (12-5-13) with the Sharks.
- Freshman Gabriel Vieira (OH/OPP) paced the Spartans offense with 8 kills in the match.
- Freshman Kyran Versteegen (S) recorded a match-high nine digs on the afternoon
- Versteegen also tallied 21 serve assists (7.0 assists/set), five kills two service aces and a block assist for the maroon and gold.
- Red-shirt Freshman Nicholas Santos (OH/OPP) racked up six kills, two service aces and five digs.
- Junior Cesar Contreras (OH/OPP) picked up six kills, one service ace and one dig for the Spartans.
- Freshman David Weiss (MB) added three kills, four digs and two block assists to the STAC totals.
Up Next
STAC returns to action on Friday, January 26, visiting Fairleigh Dickinson University for 7:00 p.m. tilt at the Bogota Savings Bank Center in Hackensack, New Jersey.