NYU men’s volleyball hopes to end regular season on a positive note

After a string of tough losses throughout the season, the Violets look to bounce back in the regular season finale.

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The Violets made a comeback as their season ended. (Courtesy of NYU Athletics)

Jonathan Mak, Staff Writer

The NYU men’s volleyball team is looking to redeem itself at Springfield College following a loss to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in which the Engineers overcame their initial 0-2 deficit in the Violets‘ final home game of the regular season on Saturday, April 1.

NYU played hard the entire match, forcing MIT to work for its 20-18 win in the last set. It was the last home game for seniors Gautham Dasari, Ryan Li and Kyle Rasmussen. Dasari signed off with a career-high 29 kills as he battled against MIT’s Nick Gustafson in the game’s final moments.

“We’re doing alright this season,” said NYU sophomore Zach Knudsen. “Some good wins but also some matches we shouldn’t have lost.”

The Violets started the season strong, winning seven of their first eight matches. They then began the second half of the season with a sweep over Pennsylvania State University Behrend and a comeback win against St. Joseph’s University, New York after trailing by two sets. Since then, however, the Violets have dropped four of their last five contests, including losses to No. 1 Stevens Institute of Technology and No. 2 Vassar College.

“We are doing much better compared to last season,” Knudsen said. “This is mainly due to the fact that there’s less of a power struggle among our leaders, unlike last year. We are more of a united front this year, while last year the team seemed more like a bunch of individuals with their own agendas.”

The team has emphasized cooperation this year according to sophomore Buddy Cohen. Cohen added that he has also noticed much more chemistry on the floor, leading to more wins than last year, and is hopeful about this year’s chances in the upcoming United Volleyball Conference tournament. 

“We have enough talent and the pieces we need to play with these top five ranked teams, but we just need to put the pieces together,” Cohen said. “On top of that, just play for each other, and put everything on the line for your teammates. That is the mentality that will win championships — giving everything you have for the guy next to you and knowing he will be doing the same.”

The Violets will finish out the regular season with an away game at Springfield College on Tuesday, April 11 before entering the quarterfinals of the UVC tournament on Friday, April 14.

Contact Jonathan Mak at [email protected]