MANHATTAN, N.Y., March 9, 2006 - Springfield College sophomore outside hitter Eric Palumbo (Rochester, N.Y.) led all players with 16 kills while adding three blocks and two service aces, but it was the No. 6 Pride which fell at New York University, 3-1, this evening at the Coles Sports Center.

SC falls to 8-12 overall on the season as it is still 6-3 in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Conference-Hay Division. The Violets improve to 7-9 overall with the 30-27, 20-30, 30-28, and 30-23 victory.

Sophomore outside hitter Javier Rosario (San Juan, Puerto Rico) added 11 kills in the contest to go along with five digs. Sophomore middle blocker Mike Walker (Buffalo, N.Y.) led all players in the match with seven blocks, as sophomore libero Brandon Waas (Rochester, N.Y.) chipped in with a team-best eight digs.

NYU was paced by Chris Schmidt with a team-high 14 kills as he also added four blocks. Schmidt hit an impressive .417 for the match with just four errors on 24 swings. Macnair Sillick put together a solid performance for the Violets, registering a match-best 11 digs while adding 12 kills in the win.

The Pride is off until Tuesday night, March 21, as it will then host Sacred Heart University in an EIVA-Hay match at Blake Arena in a 7:00 p.m. start. SC swept Sacred Heart earlier this season (Jan. 25) in Fairfield, Conn.

published: 03/10/2006