Follow
Opposite Luke Chandler put damper on all the celebration around Fairleigh Dickinson’s inaugural match.
Chandler finished with both a match-high eight aces and 16 kills on a .306 attack percentage as Long Island defeated Fairleigh Dickinson 25-16, 25-20, 18-25, 28-26 on Tuesday in Hackensack, New Jersey.
Long Island with this victory snapped its four-match season-opening losing streak to earn the first win in its program history. Both Long Island and Fairleigh Dickinson are first-year programs and members of the NEC, which will add men’s volleyball next season.
Chandler had four consecutive aces as part of a 5-0 run late in the fourth game. The freshman also led all players with six kills in the final game, including a kill in overtime.
Long Island out-hit Fairleigh Dickinson .202 to .167 and held the Knights to a negative attack percentage in the opening game.
Middle attacker Eddy Alexandre in the victory finished with a match-high five blocks, while setter Kasey Clouet added four blocks.
Fairleigh Dickinson had two players finish with double-digit kills in their college debuts. Outside attacker Jack Lydon had a team-high 15 kills and outside attacker Lorenzo Bonomo contributed 13 kills.
This was the first of two meetings between the Sharks and Knights this season. The two teams meet again in their regular-season finale on April 9.