Panthers Strike Lightning Down
Bronx, NY (Mar. 7, 2007) – As the schedule draws to a close, the Purchase Panthers are playing their best volleyball of the season.
On Wednesday night at Lehman College’s APEX Center, the men’s team won 3-1 behind a balanced attack. Purchase took the first two games 30-19 and 30-22, dropped the third, 31-33, but recovered in the fourth, 30-24, to take the match.
The Panthers improved to 6-10 in the non-conference contest against the Lightning and were paced by middle hitter Daniel Grabowski-Clark (FR/Farmington, CT), who notched a tripled-double in the overwhelming victory. Coming off a double-double in the Bard Tournament, Grabowski-Clark finished with 13 kills, 15 digs, 10 blocks, one ace and four assists to lead the team past Lehman.
Setter Sean Kenealy (SR/ Rensselaer, NY), who was recently moved to the position, continues to play well, recording 46 assists, 12 digs, one kill, one ace and three blocks on the evening.
Jonathan Cheung (SR/Cresskill, NJ) provided the highlight of the match. At the end of the fourth game, Cheung rallied the team with an emphatic kill that helped to secure the victory. He totaled 13 kills, eight digs and three blocks.
Co-captain Daniel Connor (SR/Farmingville, NY) also played well, finishing with seven kills and four blocks. Teammate Bic Cass (JR/Brookline, MA) added 15 kills, three aces, five digs and one block.
“This was an important win for us before our next conference game and a good tune up for the team heading into the final weeks of the season,” said Purchase Coach Jackie Goldstein. “It’s something we can build off of as we prepare for some important NEAC matchups.”
The Panthers now turn their attention to conference rival Polytechnical University of New York on Friday (Mar. 9) at home. The game was previously postponed twice this season. Start time is set for 8 p.m.
Panthers Go 1-2 at Bard Tourney
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY (Mar. 3, 2007) – After a poor showing in the North Eastern Athletic Conference Early Season Tournament at Bard last month, the Purchase College men’s volleyball team faired better this time around in the annual Bard Tournament.
The Panthers lost all four matches in the NEAC tourney in February, but went 1-2 in the Bard Tournament over the weekend. Purchase lost 3-0 – 30-18; 30-16; and 30-22 – to Lasell on Friday and then defeated the City College of New York 3-1 – 30-25; 30-28; 28-30; and 30-22 – Saturday before falling to Philadelphia Biblical University, 3-1 – 20-30; 30-32; 30-25; and 30-17.
Despite losing to Lasell in the opener, Purchase dominated CCNY and won one game against PBU. “I’m proud of the way the team played this weekend,” said Purchase Coach Jackie Goldstein. “We played very well against PBU and now we turn our attention to win some conference games and trying to get into the playoffs.”
Purchase’s Sean Kenealy (SR/Rensselaer, NY) was named to the Bard All-Tournament team. Kenealy, who was moved to the setter position, played well in all three matches. He notched a double-double against CCNY, recording 51 assists in the win. Against PBU, he led the team with 34 assists.
Daniel Grabowski-Clark (FR/Farmington, CT) also recorded a double-double against the Beavers, finishing with a team-high 27 kills. Grabowski-Clark also totaled 12 digs, sharing the team high with Kenealy. Bic Cass (JR/Brookline, MA) had 10 kills against CCNY while teammate and co-captain Daniel Connor (SR/Farmingville, NY) added nine kills.
The Panthers will play host to Polytechnical University of New York on Mar. 6 in an NEAC conference matchup. The rescheduled game is set to start at 7 p.m.
Purchase Splits Road Trip
Lancaster, PA (Feb. 24, 2007) – The Purchase College men's volleyball team earned a split on Saturday in its road tri-match with Lancaster Bible and Baptist Bible colleges.
The Panthers improved to 4-8 overall in the non-conference matches, defeating Baptist Bible, 3-2, while falling in three straight to Lancaster Bible. Despite three close games – 30-19; 30-24; and 30-28 – Purchase couldn't match Lancaster, which went on to sweep the afternoon of volleyball with a 3-0 victory over Baptist Bible.
In the win, Purchase was paced by Daniel Grabowski-Clark (FR/Farmington, CT), who finished with 17 kills, 11 digs and four blocks. Anthony Aloisi (SR/Rye Brook, NY) continued his strong play, totaling four kills, 42 assists and one ace on the day. Sean Kenealy (SR/Rensselaer, NY) chipped in seven kills, one assist and nine digs in the winning effort.
In the loss to Lancaster, Purchase's Bic Cass (JR/Brookline, MA) recorded 10 kills, two aces, five digs and two blocks. Jonathan Cheung (SR/Cresskill, NY) added three kills, three digs and two blocks, while Aloisi finished with 22 assists.
"The team played better in the tri-match then it had against Brooklyn in our last outing," said Purchase Coach Jackie Goldstein. "We are making strides every game and every match in preparation for our upcoming tournament at Bard in early March."
The Panthers will travel to Yeshiva University on Monday, Feb. 26. Game time is set for 8 p.m.
Panthers Fall to Bridges in Four
Purchase, NY (Feb. 19, 2007) – The Panthers came out fighting against Brooklyn College, but were ultimately defeated 3-1 – 30-28, 29-31, 15-30 and 23-30 – at the Purchase Gymnasium Monday night.
Leading the Bridges to victory on President's Day was the play of Luke Heywood. The 6’5” senior led his team in kills with 16 and had three assists on blocks. Aiding Heywood on this night would be Michael Giordano, who in addition to his 15 kills, collected 14 digs. David Mayerson and Jorge Batista tied for the team lead with 17 digs.
For the Panthers, Bic Cass (JR/Brookline, MA) paced the team with 17 kills and 12 digs. Setter Anthony Aloisi (SR/Rye Brook, NY) recorded a team-leading 46 assists and a team-high 25 digs. Jonathan Cheung (SR/Cresskill, NJ) and Sean Kenealy (SR/Rensselaer, NY) also turned in strong performances for the Panthers despite the loss. Cheung finished with seven kills and 16 digs and Kenealy totaled seven kills and 23 digs.
The win is Brooklyn College’s sixth overall in their first seven matches. The loss drops the Panthers to 3-7 overall. Their record in the North Eastern Athletic Conference remains 0-4. They will look to rebound on the road against Lancaster College on Feb. 24.
Tough Weekend for Panthers
Annandale-on-Hudson (Feb. 16-17, 2007) – The Purchase College men's volleyball team faced tough competition in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Early Season Tournament this past Friday and Saturday.
The Panthers dropped all four of their volleyball matches to Villa Julie College, Bard College, Philadelphia Biblical University and D’Youville College, respectively.
On Feb. 16, Purchase went up against Villa Julie, losing 3-0 – 18-30, 15-30 and 20-30. Brett Keller shined for the Mustangs, leading the team in kills with nine. Purchase's Daniel Grabowski-Clark (FR/Farmington, CT) recorded a team-high seven kills in the loss. Teammate Anthony Aloisi (SR/Rye Brook, NY) finished with a team-high 12 assists. 
Next up were the Raptors of Bard College. Although Purchase lost in three games, 26-30, 29-31 and 21-30, the Panthers were competitive in each one. Zachary Hamaker led the charge for the Raptors, totaling 19 kills and 11 digs. Grabowski-Clark finished with 15 kills and eight digs for Purchase.
The following Saturday, the Crimson Eagles of PBU soared to a 3-0 victory, 19-30, 26-30 and 24-30. PBU was on the attack all day recording 50 kills to Purchase’s 22. Richie Sparling and Jathan Brubaker led the team with 13 and Ben Fuller had seven. On the Purchase side of the net, Grabowski-Clark led the team with seven kills. Aloisi had seven assists and Bic Cass (JR/Brookline, MA) chipped in five kills and eight digs.
The final game of the tournament saw Purchase go up against D’Youville. The Spartans triumphed over the Panthers in three games – 9-30, 22-30 and 24-30. Spurring the Spartans to victory was the play of Matt Frey, who led the team in both kills and digs with 13 and 7, respectively. James Faragalli was also integral in their success with an astounding 33 assists.
Purchase’s record now stands at 3-6 overall, and 0-4 in conference play. The Panthers will host Brooklyn College on Feb. 19.
Home Court Advantage: Panthers Sweep Home Opener
Purchase, NY (Feb. 10, 2007) – It’s Home Sweet Home for the Purchase College men’s volleyball team, who swept a tri-match Saturday in their home opener before the Panther faithful.
Purchase defeated Baptist Bible College, 3-0, behind a line score of 30-13, 31-29 and 30-23. The turning point of the match was the second game in which Purchase trailed late, but overcame the deficit thanks to the serve of T.J. Glendinning (JR/Forestville, NY). Purchase’s Daniel Grabowski-Clark (FR/Farmington, CT) also keyed the late push with several kills.
In their final game of the day, the Panthers downed SUNY Institute of Technology, 3-1. Purchase lost the opening game 31-29, but rallied to take the second, 30-21, the third, 30-18, and the fourth, 30-17.
The pair of victories improved Purchase to 3-2 on the season. The Panthers have yet to play a North Eastern Athletic Conference matchup, but will host Polytechnical University of New York on Valentines Day in their first league game. The match is set for 7 p.m.
In the opening game against Baptist Bible, Sean Kenealy (SR/Rensselaer, NY) recorded five kills and five digs. He didn’t commit an error in the match. Grabowski-Clark finished with a team-high 10 kills, adding one assist, one ace and six digs, while teammate Anthony Aloisi (SR/Rye Brook, NY) totaled 21 assists.
Aaron Waytkus (JR/Hoosick Falls, NY), Purchase captain, finished with six kills, one assist and 10 digs against the Defenders.
Against the Wildcats, Purchase’s Mike Shea (JR/Cortlandt Manor), a defensive specialist, sparked the Panthers with nine aces. Bic Cass (JR/Brookline, MA) recorded a team-high 13 kills. Kenealy and Grabowksi-Clark finished with 11 and 10 kills, respectively, while Aloisi, the team’s setter, was once again responsible for putting the Panthers in a strong position. He finished with 34 assists.
Daniel Connor (SR/Farmingville, NY), Jonathan Cheung (SR/Cresskill, NY) and Michael Seltzer (FR/Washington, D.C.) also played well in both wins.
Panthers Edge CCNY for First Win
New York, NY (Feb. 2, 2007) – The Purchase College men’s volleyball team bounced back from a poor outing in its first games of the season to clip the City College of New York on the road, 3-2.
In the process, Purchase earned its first victory of the season and improved to 1-2 overall with the non-conference matchup. The Panthers will look to continue their winning ways tomorrow against the College of Mt. St. Vincent on the road.
“It feels good to get our first win of the season,” said Purchase Coach Jackie Goldstein. “We owed them for hanging us a loss last season. We showed a lot of heart. It was close, but we were able to bear down and pull it out in the end. It’s a match we can build off of.”
Purchase won the first game, 30-27, lost 17-30 in the second, rallied back for a 30-18 win in the third and then lost the fourth game, 22-30. But the Panthers edged the Beavers 16-14 in the dramatic finale to take the win.
Purchase setter Anthony Aloisi (SR/Rye Brook, NY) finished with 39 assists to spearhead the win, many of which setup middle hitter Daniel Grabowski-Clark (FR/Farmington, CT), who recorded a team-leading 15 kills. Grabowski-Clark also finished with four aces and nine digs, while Aloisi totaled 12 digs.
Sean Kenealy (SR/Rensselaer, NY) and Bic Cass (JR/Brookline, MA) each added seven kills. Outside hitter Aaron Waytkus (JR/Hoosick Falls, NY) also turned in a solid performance with 12 digs.
Purchase Drops Pair in Opener
Langhorne, PA (Jan. 27, 2007) – The Purchase College men’s volleyball team is set for a strong campaign, but its first games of the season did not go as planned as they fell 0-3 to both Bard College and Philadelphia Biblical University Saturday in a North Eastern Athletic Conference tri-match.
Purchase falls to 0-2 on the season, losing its opening games on the road at Langhorne, PA. PBU’s Richie Sparling finished with 13 kills and 10 digs, while teammate Brad Chrisman added 29 assists to lift the Crimson Eagles past the Panthers. Game scores were 30-22, 30-13, and 30-17.
In defeat, Purchase’s Aaron Waytkus (JR/Hoosick Falls, NY) totaled six kills and eight digs. Dan Grabowski-Clark registered a team-leading 14 digs and teammate Anthony Aloisi (SR/Rye Brook, NY) paced the team with 10 assists, while also finishing with 13 digs.
PBU improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the conference. The Crimson Eagles also defeated Bard earlier in the day, 4-1.
Against Bard, Purchase lost 30-14, 30-24 and 30-17. Grabowski-Clark finished with a team-leading nine kills, while Aloisi totaled 22 assists and two aces. Grabowski-Clark also finished with nine digs in the loss. Sean Kenealy (SR/Rensselaer, NY) added six digs and five kills.
Purchase will travel to the City College of New York Friday (Feb. 2) for a matchup with the Beavers. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
Panthers Set for Competition
Purchase, NY (Jan. 26, 2007) – Purchase Coach Jackie Goldstein heads into the 2007 men’s volleyball season with as strong a team as the college has seen in recent history.
The Panthers boast a combination of experience and youth and have their sights set a successful North Eastern Athletic Conference showing at the early season tournament, February 16-17, and in the finals come March – both of which are to be played at Bard College.
Of course, much of the season will hinge on the conference tournament in February since the outcome will directly affect the team’s league record, but Goldstein says early indications point toward a showdown in the finals with the conference’s elite.
“This is possibly the strongest offensive team Purchase has seen since I started with the program,” said Goldstein, now in her third season. “Our offensive options are truly limitless with the hitters we have.”
Middle hitter Jonathan Cheung (SR/Cresskill, NJ) and outside hitter Aaron Waytkus (JR/Hoosick Falls, NY) are among Purchase’s top returnees. Waytkus, the team’s captain, is “overall the most consistent and well-rounded player” on the team according to Goldstein, while Cheung “is a great jumper and possesses a strong court presence.”
Setter Anthony Aloisi (SR/Rye Brook, NY) steps into a new role this season, but “has the right mindset to lead the team on the court,” Goldstein said.
Also returning is outside hitter Sean Kenealy (SR/Rensselaer, NY), who also changes roles from setter to OH as the Panthers’ depth improves.
New kids on the block for Purchase include middle hitter Daniel Grabowski-Clark (FR/Farmington, NY) – a two sport athlete, who also starred on the men’s soccer team this past fall. Grabowski-Clark has been described as a streaky MH with a tremendous amount of potential.
“He’s very experience for his age,” Goldstein explained of Grabowski-Clark. “He’s our all-around biggest threat on the court when he’s on top of his game.”
Transfer Bic Cass (JR/Brookline, MA), an opposite hitter, has drawn raves from his coach for his leaping ability and his power swing. “He’s got a very strong lefty swing,” Goldstein said, adding, “with defense to match.”
Speaking of defense, Mike Shea (JR/Cortlandt Manor, NY) has been deemed the team’s “defensive specialist.”
Goldstein applauds Shea for his hustle and says he’s a very consistent player. “Mike features a strong serve and is a true leader on defense,” the coach said.
Goldstein is also expecting big things from key reserves Daniel Connor (SR/Farmingville, NY), Theodore Glendinning (JR/Forestville, NY) and Michael Seltzer (FR/Washington, D.C.).
Purchase will look to improve on inconsistency in its serving game and in the team communication department – a place it lacked at times last season. “These weaknesses should resolve themselves as the season goes on,” Goldstein said.
Purchase will also meet several tough out-of-conference opponents, including Lancaster Bible, Brooklyn College and Lehman. “We’re looking to improve our record in the conference, especially,” Goldstein said. “I’d like to see us finish fourth or better in the conference. It should be a great season.
