Mar. 25, 2011

Box Score

Pushing for its first championship game appearance since 2002 when Lehman defeated City College of New York, the Lightning instead bowed out in three sets – 25-21, 25-14, 25-21 – to the No. 2 seed Hunter College in the semifinals of the CUNYAC/EmblemHealth Men's Volleyball Championships held at Baruch College on Friday night.

The loss completes a 16-11 season for the Lightning, while also ending the team's six-game winning streak dating back to March 8 when Lehman defeated Medgar Evers in straight sets.

Fresh off its quarterfinal win over Brooklyn College, Lehman fell behind 13-8 in the first set thanks to an aggressive-blocking Hunter team which turned back three Lightning shots in the early going. For the match, the Hawks blocked 10 Lehman shots, with Braien Otsla leading the way with six blocking assists.

Trailing 17-14, Lehman closed to within 17-16 on a kill by Nate Martin and an attack error by Otsla. However, following what would prove to be a theme throughout the match, the Lightning could not put together a sustained run, instead watching as Hunter took the next two points on a kill by Albert Chi and a service ace from Stanley Martinez. Lehman would once again pull within two points at 23-21, but it was too little, too late as Hunter took the next two to close out the first set.

Similar to the previous set, Hunter took an early lead and then watched the Lightning battle back to tie at 8-8. From that point on, though, the Hawks went on a 9-2 run to take a commanding 17-10 lead on their way to a relatively easy 25-14 win.

Facing an uphill climb down two sets to none, the Lightning fought valiantly in the third, taking a 3-2 lead. The advantage for Lehman was its first of the match, but ultimately proved to be its last, as Hunter combined an overwhelming attack, some excellent receiving, and several Lehman errors to send the Lightning home earlier than it had hoped.

Playing in their final CUNYAC matches, seniors Nate Martin and R.J. LeBlanc combined for 12 kills and 10 digs, with LeBlanc also adding two service aces. Setter Miguel Gallardo recorded 20 assists in the loss.

Lehman now will hope to extend its season by at least one more game pending the selection of teams for the upcoming ECAC Championships.

“This was a really great group to coach,” said Lehman head coach Wolfgang Lucena. “We developed over the season, finished on a six-game winning streak, but it's hard to win against a team like Hunter when you're not playing at your best.

“We're looking forward to a possible ECAC bid.”