Arlington, Va. – Facing the top CVC contender, the Marymount men's volleyball team forced a fourth set before falling to Rutgers-Newark, 3-1 (18-25, 22-25, 25-22, 21-25).  The Saints slip to 14-19 on the season and 5-7 in league play.  Despite the loss, Marymount secures the three-seed in the CVC Tournament this upcoming weekend.

Graham Clark paced the Marymount offense with a .353 hitting percentage on the day – notching eight kills on 17 swings.  TJ Wiechecki smacked a team-best 16 kills to lead the Saints squad, while Albert Johannson chipped in 11.  Tomasz Ksiazkiewicz added eight kills to round out the attack.

Erich Bratke registered 46 assists in the contest, while Jordan Pawlicki recorded a match-high 15 digs.  At the net, Ksiazkiewicz hauled in three solo blocks and three block assists to pace the defensive effort.

Firmly cornered and down 2-0 in the match, Marymount needed to find fortitude enough to outdo the white-hot Scarlet Raiders.  Despite a 4-1 run from Rutgers-Newark to open the third, the Saints worked their way back to knot the score at 10-10.  From there, the squads traded points persistently until Marymount drew the 22-19 lead.  The advantage would prove sustainable enough to round out the set and force a fourth frame.

While the fourth set also saw a point-for-point battle unfold, the Raiders strung together five unanswered points – on four kills and a Marymount attack error – to seal the deal, 25-21, and secure the road win.

As the three-seed, the Saints will travel to Rutgers-Newark for the CVC Tournament this upcoming weekend.  Marymount will face Stevenson in the opening CVC semi-final on Friday night at 5 p.m.