In a grueling volleyball tri-match that spanned over seven hours and featured 74 ties and 23 lead changes, the Stevenson University men’s volleyball team finished 1-1 in its final home tri-match of the season.
The Mustangs battled No. 5 Stevens to the wire in the opening match but fell just short in a 3-2 loss. In the nightcap, Stevenson (10-6, 1-2 MAC) outlasted Randolph-Macon in another five-set thriller, securing a 3-2 victory.
The final match of the day was one for the record books, as Tim Flanagan shattered the school record with 36 kills in a five-set match. His remarkable performance tied him for sixth all-time in Division III history, falling just seven kills shy of the NCAA record.
Match 1: No. 5 Stevens 3, (RV) Stevenson 2
Set Scores: 22-25, 25-21, 24-26, 25-17, 15-13
In a marathon battle that lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes, Stevenson pushed Stevens to the limit but ultimately fell short in five sets. Flanagan led the offense with 20 kills, while Ryan Thenell added 18. Corwin Trouteaud registered five blocks, and Connor Roth dished out an impressive 54 assists. JD Sarmuksnis anchored the defense with 16 digs, while Anthony Pezzino added 15.
Thenell shared his thoughts on the exhaustive game and the teams efforts to battle to end. “I thought it was a great game. I thought of all of the guys came out and did what they were supposed to do. We had highs, we had lows, but everybody put in their best efforts.
The Mustangs took the opening set behind back-to-back kills from Flanagan and Pezzino to seal a 25-22 win. However, Stevens responded in the second, pulling away late for a 25-21 victory to even the match.
The third set was another tight contest, with Stevenson capitalizing on back-to-back service errors before Thenell’s kill and a block from Trouteaud and Roth secured a 26-24 win and a 2-1 match lead.
Stevens dominated the fourth set, jumping out to a commanding 16-8 lead and cruising to a 25-17 win.
In the decisive fifth set, the Ducks built a 9-3 lead, but Stevenson fought back with a four-point run, capitalizing on two Stevens attack errors to pull within two at 10-7. The Mustangs remained within striking distance, cutting the deficit to 14-13 before Stevens sealed the match with a kill from Koby Sherman.
As they look ahead the against MAC (Middle Atlantic Conference), Thenell shared his thoughts on how the team will take this match and learn from it for the rest of conference play. “We are just going to continue to play our game.” The next conference matchup Stevenson has on their schedule will be Arcadia University March 19th.
Match 2: (RV) Stevenson 3, Randolph-Macon 2
Set Scores: 23-25, 25-23, 25-20, 27-29, 15-12
Stevenson was hungry for a win after their five set thriller that came up just short against Stevens. Flanagan shared his thoughts on what the team did to get through it and win. “The five setter against Stevens made us hungry for a win against Randolph-Macon. We were close to victory in the first match and we used that anger and that fire from game one to push us to game two.”
Stevenson rebounded in its second match of the night, outlasting Randolph-Macon in another five-set battle. Flanagan delivered a record-breaking 36-kill performance, while RC Getteau and Pezzino chipped in with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Roth orchestrated the offense with 58 assists, tying the program’s highest total in a four-set match since 2020.
Defensively, Adam Sawyers recorded four block assists, Sarmuksnis led with 20 digs, and Flanagan and Pezzino added 16 and 11 digs, respectively.
The Yellow Jackets (14-8) took the first set, closing on a two-point run to edge Stevenson 25-23.
Despite the sluggish start, Flanagan knew his team would battle back and keep up with the plays they needed to. “We were off to a slow start in the first set. I think what got us through it was pushing through adversity and having that next ball mentality. We knew they were going to make plays and we knew we could make plays too.”
Flanagan responded in the second set, delivering back-to-back kills to seal a 25-23 win and even the match at 1-1.
Stevenson built a 14-8 lead in the third set, but Randolph-Macon clawed back within two at 19-17. The Mustangs regained momentum behind two Flanagan kills and a Getteau strike, securing a 25-20 win for a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set saw Stevenson with match point twice, but RMC rallied behind kills from Owen Hahn and Ian Wagenhauser to force a decisive fifth set with a 29-27 win.
In the final set, Stevenson secured the victory with a crucial block assist from Brian Farrell and Sawyers, sealing the 15-12 win and capping off a long night of intense competition.
Flanagan shared what the team’s mentality was to battle through and get this win. “Our mentality was giving our all against Randolph-Macon. It was our last game of the week so we gave it our all. We left it all on the court and it worked out for us.”
The Mustangs will have a week off before taking on Lancaster Bible this Saturday in a rescheduled match from February.
