Mar. 22, 2011

Box Score

It took some time, but the Lehman Lightning eventually found the “ON” button to its game on Tuesday night in the quarterfinal round of the CUNYAC/EmblemHealth Men's Volleyball Championships, allowing it to post a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-20) win over visiting Brooklyn College.

Facing a fired up Brooklyn team that had already defeated Lehman this season back on February 5, the Lightning could not match the emotion of the Bulldogs in the early going of the first set as the visitors jumped out to a 5-1 lead. Later, a 4-0 run gave Brooklyn a 17-12 advantage. Following a kill by Keiran Halton, the Bulldogs were five points away, at 20-17, from grabbing the set.

However, the Lightning had an ace in the hole in Miguel Gallardo, who stepped to the service line with his team trailing 20-18, and did not leave until Lehman had stormed back for the 25-20 win. Over those final seven points, the reigning back-to-back CUNYAC Rookie of the Week fired three aces to help lead the charge.

While the Lightning's theft of the first set didn't take the wind out of the sails of the Bulldogs, it did stun them enough for Lehman to race out to an 11-4 lead in the second set. Brooklyn was able to regroup, using an 11-3 run to pull within 15-14 on Alexander Shlivko's kill. But that was the closest it would get, as Gallardo notched two kills and another service ace as the Lightning distanced itself from the Bulldogs to win 25-19.

The third set, unlike the first two, was never in doubt despite Brooklyn closing to 13-9 at one point. A 7-3 run that brought the Lehman lead to 20-12, highlighted by kills from Shane Gafoor, Nate Martin, R.J. LeBlanc and Victor Garcia, allowed for sufficient breathing room for the Lightning before the team put the match away, 25-20, on a final Martin kill.

In the win, LeBlanc and Martin each registered 11 kills, with Martin adding 10 digs, while Gallardo served up 32 assists and four aces.

Its quarterfinal win complete, a formidable roadblock in the form of No. 2 Hunter College, a 3-0 (25-20, 24-14, 25-10) winner over Medgar Evers College, now stands in the way of a place in the championship game. In the two meetings between Hunter and Lehman this season, the Hawks came away with both games, 3-1 and 3-0.

The semifinal matchup is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon at Baruch College, with the winner advancing to the championship tilt later that night at 8 p.m.