NEW YORK, N.Y.—The 11th-ranked Hobart volleyball team dropped a UVC matchup this afternoon in straight sets to No. 1 NYU on the road. With the loss, the Statesmen fall to 17-5 overall and 0-3 in the UVC, while the top-seeded Violets remain undefeated and move to 17-0 overall with a 3-0 mark in conference play.

Hobart struggled to match the high-energy NYU side as it celebrated its senior day. The Violets combined for 36 kills this afternoon, hitting .329 in the sweep, while the Statesmen tallied 26 kills and a .089 hitting percentage through three sets. NYU impressed from the service line and tallied seven aces compared to Hobart's two. The Violets also held a 6-5 advantage in blocks against the Statesmen to help propel them to the conference sweep.

Graduate student Andrew Kim led Hobart with his fourth double-double of the season as he tallied 11 kills (.172) and 10 digs in the loss. He added one block, one service ace and one assist against the Violets. Sophomores Daniel Sappia (.105) and Noah DeLong (.000) chipped in five kills each in the setback and combined for four digs, two blocks and an assist through three sets. Graduate student Benjamin Lincoln tallied a team-high 21 assists and added seven digs, two kills (.400) and a block in the loss.

NYU was led by Luke Boyer's 11 kills (.261), four digs, two blocks and one service ace. Emerson Evans added 10 kills (.450), eight digs, one block and one ace for the Violets. Devyn Nguyen tallied a match-high 28 assists in the win and added seven digs, and three blocks in the sweep.

MATCH MOMENTS:

• NYU opened the match with 11 kills (.348) in the first set and held Hobart to just seven kills (.000). The Statesmen racked up seven hitting errors and six service errors, handing the Violets a 25-16 win in set one.
• The second set saw the two sides trading the early points until the 16-16 mark. NYU then went on a run to grab the late momentum and take the 2-0 lead. Despite putting down nine kills (.120) in the second set, the Statesmen were matched by an efficient Violet side that combined for 12 kills (.375) which closed out the second set on top 25-19.
• NYU continued on its momentum into the third set and combined for a match-high 13 kills (.281). Hobart answered with a match-high 10 kills (.148) but struggled to stop a strong serving side as the Violets racked up three aces in the final set. An Emerson kill closed out the sweep for NYU with a 25-17 win in the third.

MATCH STATS:

• Kim led Hobart with 11 kills, hitting .172 against the Violets. Sappia (.105) and DeLong (.000) chipped in five kills each in the loss.
• Lincoln led the Statesmen from the setter position and tallied 21 assists in the loss. He added seven digs, two kills (.333) and one solo block for Hobart.
• The Statesmen combined for 29 digs as a team and were led by Kim with 10. Lincoln chipped in seven digs, while sophomore libero Gavin Meador recorded four digs in the setback.
• Hobart recorded five blocks as a team and was led by first-year Alain Malcolm with five. DeLong chipped in two blocks, while Kim and Lincoln added one block each in the conference matchup.

UP NEXT:
 
Hobart will be back in action Saturday, March 8, as it hosts No. 7 Vassar for a crucial conference matchup. Action between the Statesmen and the Brewers is set for noon in Bristol Gymnasium.