Men's Volleyball Sweeps Invite to Remain Undefeated at Home

By Logan Weingartner, FLCC Sports Studies Major

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. - The Finger Lakes Community College men's volleyball team extended their home win streak to 4 following a sweep over a pair of their doubleheaders at the FLCC Invite on Saturday, February 24th and Sunday, February 25th. The Lakers earned wins over RIT, Monroe College Bronx, Monroe College New Rochelle, and Union County Community College. 

The Lakers kicked off the tournament with a 3-1 win over RIT. The Tiger would take set one before the Lakers stormed back to win three straight. Sophomore Nick Ferris (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) emerged as the standout player, delivering 18 kills on a .563 hitting percentage. His offensive dominance was coupled with 3 block assists, leading to a 19.5-point total in the match. Freshman Evan Lukasiewicz (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) played a crucial role in the victory, amassing 15 kills and adding 2 service aces in a 17-point performance.

The team's offense was led by setter Bryce Ceravolo (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) who distributed 45 assists throughout four sets. Ceravolo's two kills and a block assist, along with a perfect hitting percentage, added 4.5 points to his tally. Teammates Ian Meeks (Victor, N.Y./Victor) and Aaron Hennessy (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva) both added depth to the Lakers' attack. Meeks secured 8 kills and contributed 2 block assists, while Hennessy tallied 7 points through his serving, with 3 service aces. Defensively, Bryce Nickson (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) had strong backcourt play, leading the team with 11 digs.

The Lakers would get back on track in their second match of the day, sweeping the Express of Monroe College Bronx. Sophomore Nick Ferris put together another strong performance, adding 7 kills on 7 attempts for a perfect hitting percentage, while Nehemiah Williams (Waterloo, N.Y./Waterloo) made a significant mark in the match, adding 5 kills on 6 attempts.

Classmates Evan Lukasiewicz and Jarett Campbell (Friendship, N.Y./Cuba-Rushford) were pivotal in the service game, with Lukasiewicz registering 2 service aces and Campbell adding 4 aces to his name. Lukasiewicz's all-around game resulted in 6 points, while Campbell tallied 7 points in the match. Sophomores Bryce Ceravolo and Ian Meeks directed the team's play with precision, adding 8 and 16 assists to their tally, respectively. The defensive effort was highlighted by Nate Whyte (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) who notched 2 solo blocks, wrapping up a strong start to the FLCC Invite.

The Finger Lakes Community College men's volleyball team concluded the FLCC Invitational with a pair of sweeps, bumping their season record up to 18-3. The Lakers' winning streak improves to 6 games, and their perfect home record increases to 8-0.

The Lakers started their Sunday with a 3-0 win over the Monroe College Mustangs. Nick Ferris continued his dominance, posting a team-high 10 kills on 21 attempts, rounding out to a hitting percentage of .429. Ferris put in work on the defensive end, too, racking up 3 digs and 1 block assist. Teammate Evan Lukasiewicz was instrumental in all departments, filling up the stat sheet with 9 kills, 1 service ace, 5 digs, and 2 solo blocks, totaling up to 12 points. The coherency of Ferris and Lukasiewicz was pivotal to the Laker victory. 

Ian Meeks strung together an efficient outing both offensively and defensively, bringing in 7 kills on 12 attempts, along with 3 digs and 1 solo block. Sophomore Bryce Ceravolo continued to prove why he is the team's lead setter, bringing in an impressive 27 assists. This marks the 19th game where Ceravolo has had double-digit assists, putting his total up to 599 on the season. The sophomore was also beneficial at the defensive end and from the service line, pouring in 2 digs and 3 service aces. Bryce Nickson was vital for the Lakers on both ends as well, finishing with 4 kills, 1 assist, and a team-high 6 digs. Nickson ended the match with 4 points on a .571 hitting percentage.

The second and final win of the day for the Lakers came against the Owls of Union College, where they posted another sweep. Nick Ferris had yet another efficient game, adding 10 kills on 15 attempts for a .600 hitting percentage, contributing a total of 11 points. Ian Meeks added to the offensive attack as well, putting up 10 kills on 21 attempts. Meeks showed his versatility by adding 4 assists and 2 blocks, contributing a total of 10 points. 

AJ DeBalso (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) and Bryce Nickson were key to the strong Laker defense, as they both had 9 digs apiece. Evan Lukasiewicz had another strong outing on all ends of the floor as he put up 8 kills, 1 service ace, and 5 digs. Lukasiewicz would end the day with 9 points. Samuel Guardado (San Salvador, El Salvador/Josue Christian) and Jarett Campbell added an extra element of defense off of the bench, with Guardado putting up 3 digs and 1 block assist, while Campbell added in 2 digs, 1 solo block, and 1 block assist. 

The Lakers look to continue their hot streak on Saturday, March 2nd as they travel to Aurora, N.Y. to take on Wells College at 2 PM. Following that matchup, the squad will return home to take on Nassau Community College the following day at 10 AM.