Mar. 1, 2011

Box Score

Playing what head coach Wolfgang Lucena called “our best game of the year by far,” the Lehman men's volleyball team defeated York College 3-0 (25-23, 26-24, 25-23) on Tuesday night to improve to 9-8 overall and 6-4 in the City University of New York Athletic Conference.

With the team looking for the season sweep over the Cardinals, the Lightning never trailed in taking the first set. However, after taking its biggest lead at 19-12 after Kenan Kajtezovic's ball handling error, the visitors were forced to sweat out the remaining points after York closed to 23-22. Manuel Bonilla and R.J. LeBlanc ended the suspense with putaways to put the Lightning in the driver's seat after one set.

The Cardinals looked poised to square the match as they built an 18-12 lead behind six kills from Jhonnathan Fernandez, who recently joined the team following the end of York's basketball season. After a timeout by Coach Lucena, the team showed renewed determination but still found itself trailing 24-19.

Alex Niles service error opened the door for the Lightning and given the opportunity, the team burst through on the back of some outstanding serving from freshman Miguel Gallardo. The Bronx native served up three aces, including the deciding two points, as Lehman took the thrilling second set 26-24. For the match, Gallardo fired five aces.

“Miguel was a killer tonight,” said Coach Lucena. “They just couldn't handle his serves.”

The third set proved to be just as entertaining as the previous set with Lehman building a 13-10 lead, only to have York take a 20-16 lead behind strong play around the net from Alex Niles and Helmi.

Once again, though, the Lightning regrouped after a timeout, eventually evening the set at 22-22 on a kill by Bonilla. York would take one final lead on a kill by Fernandez before Bonilla (2 kills) and LeBlanc (1 kill) helped the Lightning capture three straight points to finish off the Cardinals.

LeBlanc finished the night with a team-high 12 kills while Bonilla had his strongest showing of the season with nine kills. In addition to his five service aces, Gallardo played the role of orchestrator with precision, dealing out 24 assists. Senior Nate Martin registered eight kills and eight digs.

Lehman returns to action on Thursday night when it hosts New Jersey City University.