ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College concluded the home portion of its schedule by splitting its tri-match with SUNY Potsdam and Curry.

The Gators began the day with a 3-2 New England Volleyball Conference loss to SUNY Potsdam.  

RSC, upended by scores of 29-31, 29-27, 26-28, 25-17, 10-15, had five players record at least eight kills in the opener.

Sophomore opposite Dylan Fox (Albany, NY/Colonie Central), the 2024 NEVC Rookie of the Year,  tallied 20 kills on .214 hitting, nine digs, and three total blocks, while junior outside hitter Sean Pingelski (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) contributed 17 kills on .412 hitting, five digs, two blocks, and three aces.

Freshman middle blocker Evan Devine (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) hit .550 en route to 13 kills, while senior middle blocker Wylkins Occelin (Brooklyn, NY/John Dewey), who was honored before the Curry match as part of the "Senior Day" ceremony, registered nine kills on .467 hitting.  The duo combined for nine total blocks across the five sets.

Freshman outside hitter John Lindheimer (Albany, NY/Colonie Central) finished off eight rallies, while freshman setter Anthony Guetti (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) dished out 58 assists.

Senior middle blocker Matt Klinski topped SUNY Potsdam (16-7/5-1 NEVC), now winners of ten in-a-row, with 24 kills on .269 hitting.

The Gators capped the afternoon with a sweep of Curry (25-22, 26-24, 25-20).

RSC, which recognized three graduating student-athletes for the contributions to the program before the non-conference match, aced eight serves and hit .284 as a team.

Pingelski topped all participants with 13 kills on .346 hitting and four digs.  Opposite Eli Tortorici (Clifton Park, NY/Mohonasen/HVCC) , one of the "Senior Day honorees,  registered seven kills, and four digs, while Guetti tallied 31 assists and eight digs. Occelin, playing his final match in the Kahl Campus Center, recorded seven kills, on .312 hitting, three total blocks, and two digs. 

Freshman outside hitter Michael Swanigan paced Curry (5-16) with 10 kills on .364 hitting and seven digs. 

RSC (9-21/1-5 NEVC) finishes up the regular season on Saturday at Vassar, currently ranked ninth in the latest AVCA National Poll.

Senior Day: Before the Curry match, Russell Sage College Athletics recognized middle blocker Confidence Burrowes (East Orange, NJ/Donald M. Payne/Wells), Tortorici, and Occelin for their contributions to the Men's Volleyball program.

Gator Bites with Papa John's: The spring marks the fourth with Reid Hartl at the helm of the Gators…RSC secured a spot in the New England Volleyball Conference Championship Tournament with Friday's sweep of Vermont State University: Johnson...The Gators will play on the road at a to-be-determined opponents in an Quarterfinal on Wednesday, April 9...RSC returns six players from last season's team, highlighted by sophomore Dylan Fox (Albany, NY/Colonie), the 2024 NEVC Rookie of the Year…The opposite, chosen the Conference's Player of the Week on two occasions this spring, finished the afternoon ranked second in the NEVC with 316 kills…Pingelski registered 41 kills, 3.73 per-set, on .405 hitting and 17 digs across three matches this weekend...Guetti, currently fifth in the Conference in assists per-set, recorded 107 assists and 16 digs in the 2-1 week......Hartl added nine newcomers to the roster, including Burrowes…Fox, Burrows, and Occelin were voted co-captains.