Springfield College beats Baruch in semi-final of Molten Championship – Volleyball news
The extreme action of Molten Division III Men’s Invitational Volleyball Championship is underway in New York.
The men’s teams from Springfield College and Baruch staged a head-to-head battle in the first of two semi-finals of the tournament on Friday, 15th April. The influential semi-final match was hosted by Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, USA.
The Springfield Team proved to be better and held off Baruch for a 3-1 (25-20, 25-20, 22-25, and 25-17) victory. The brilliant squad of Springfield College paved its way to the final showdown of the tournament, while Baruch will be playing a consolation
match with the loser of second semi-final on Saturday. Springfield is vying for its second consecutive Molten Title and they are pretty much on their way to make it.
The defending champions started with a great serving. The strong jump-serves helped them set a pace in the game. They put early points on the scoreboard, while Baruch had yet to break the null-point. Springfield marked their presence and picked up a lead
of 4-1.
The Baruch side was down with reception errors. They seemed to be scattered and looked un-easy in their positions. In the meantime, the Springfield team took full advantage of their nervousness and added more points. They successfully extended their lead
of 10-4 and dragged the opponents under huge pressure. The Baruch middle-blockers failed to stop the killing shots from Springfield spikers. The first-set game progressed in the same fashion and Springfield secured victory at 25-20.
After dropping the first set, Baruch side came up with a new strategy. They discussed their weak areas during the vital timeout and struggled to bring a change in the game. The charged-up Springfield players played fast and hit nice cross-court shots.
On the other hand, the Baruch side resisted in full force and tried to break their tempo. However, Springfield was able to take one-point lead at 6-5. Beyond that point, the Springfield squad showed no mercy and stormed opponents’ half with groundbreaking
shots. Baruch was still at same point, while Springfield moved to 12 points. The Springfield maintained lead until the end and sealed second set victory at 25-20.
The raged-up Baruch Team shifted the momentum and put up a great fight in third set. After losing two sets in a row they were deep down in trouble but they didn’t lose heart. The spirited effort of the Baruch helped them create a spark in third set and they
pulled off success by posting 25-22.
The happiness was short-lived as the Springfield squad bounced back in fourth set. They built an early lead and maintained a fair difference of points up to the math point. Springfield claimed victory by thrashing 25-17 in fourth set.
The Springfield side was heavily supported by wonderful Alberto Bravo, who earned seventeen kills. Following his team-mate’s footsteps, Mike Pelletier of Springfield registered 13 kills and also contributed valuable points via his excellent hitting power.
He was praised for his two aces, two blocks and seven digs. Cal Palumbo was not far behind with 10 kills.
Last but not least, Mike Becker of Springfield earned 44 digs and played his part in the overall success of his team.
On the other hand, Baruch’s Eryk Kowalski chipped 16 kills on 36 attacks. He also did a good job at blocking and serving the ball with precision.
Likewise, Pablo Oliveira helped his team’s score with 12 kills and eight digs. Vincent Cruze created much trouble for Springfield spikers with the help of his solid blocking skills. He had a match high five blocks and also earned three kills and an ace.
Tags: