Box Score

The Lehman College men's volleyball team (6-13 Overall, 4-9 CUNYAC) dropped a heartbreaker on Tuesday night, falling to the Beavers of the City College of New York (7-16 Overall, 5-8 CUNYAC) by scores of 22-30, 30-19, 30-23, 22-30, and 11-15 at the APEX Center in the Bronx. It was the second time this season the Beavers defeated Lehman College.

Despite dropping the first set of the evening, the Lightning responded impressively by grabbing the next two sets. In the fourth set, the Beavers raced out to an early 16-9 lead before Lehman scored seven of the set's ensuing eight points to pull to within one, at 17-16. The Beavers would finish strong, though, scoring five unanswered points to take a 22-16 lead while never looking back and eventually recording an eight-point victory in the set. In the fifth and decisive set, CCNY took a commanding 13-4 advantage before Lehman rallied to pull to within 13-10. The Beavers would not relinquish the lead though, holding on for a 15-11 victory in the set and in essence, taking the match.

Despite the loss for the Lightning, junior standout Jonathan Cruz put forth a hearty effort, tallying a team-high 21 kills to go along with 15 digs and three solo blocks. Teammate RJ LeBlanc also chipped in with 15 kills, eight digs, and three service aces, and Nate Martin finished his evening with a team-high 31 assists to go along with 11 digs and seven kills. As a team, Lehman hit just .069 on the evening.

In the victory for the CCNY Beavers it was Christopher Aviles leading the charge with a match-high 26 kills to go along with 19 digs and two service aces. Brandon Mellette added 13 kills, and setter Carlos Matute added a match-high 47 assists to go along with 18 digs. The Beavers hit .151 on the evening and recorded 95 digs on the evening compared to 67 for the Lightning

The loss for Lehman College means the team will either finish as the No. 6 or No. 7 seed in the conference, leaving the Lightning with two possible quarterfinal round opponents in the upcoming CUNYAC tourney – No. 2 seeded Hunter College or No. 3 seeded New York City College of Technology. Lehman's quarterfinal round opponent will be determined next week.

The Lightning will return to action Saturday afternoon as the team travels to Medgar Evers to participate in a tri-match. Lehman will battle Webb Institute at 3:00pm before taking on the Cougars of Medgar Evers College at 5:00pm.