Casey Boin
Flanagan & Thenell leading the huddle during a match
The Stevenson University men’s volleyball team punched its ticket to the semifinals of the 2025 Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Tournament with a dominant straight-set victory over Arcadia University on Tuesday night. The Mustangs (15-9) swept the Knights (10-19) by scores of 25-18, 25-22, and 25-22 in front of their home crowd, securing their first postseason win since 2021.
With the win, Stevenson advances to face top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology on Thursday night in Hoboken, N.J. The matchup is a highly anticipated rematch, as the Mustangs previously pushed Stevens to five sets earlier this season before narrowly falling 3-2.
Offensively, Stevenson was led by standout performances from Anthony Pezzino and Tim Flanagan. Pezzino paced the Mustangs with 14 kills and added eight digs, while Flanagan contributed 13 kills and seven digs. Ryan Thenell chipped in with six kills to help power the offense.
The Mustangs also made their presence felt at the net and the service line. Corwin Trouteaud tallied three blocks on the night, and Adam DeRubertis recorded a pair of aces. Connor Roth directed the attack with precision, finishing with 38 assists in the win.
As a team, Stevenson hit an impressive .288 for the match, including a blistering .412 in the opening set (16 kills on 34 swings with just two errors), setting the tone early and maintaining control throughout.
Despite the loss, Arcadia had strong showings from Cameron Birch, who notched 10 kills, and Danny Gonzalez, who added nine. Setter Riley Kodidek posted a double-double with 28 assists and 14 digs.
Flanagan shared his thoughts on what the team’s mindset will be going into this rematch. “We need to fulfill the underdog story! It ‘s great being the underdog because there’s no pressure on us and all the pressure on them.”
Now just one win away from the conference championship match, the Mustangs will look to carry their momentum into Thursday’s showdown with the top-seeded Ducks.