1/28/26
Final Score: Stevens 3, SUNY New Paltz 0 (25-21, 25-23, 26-24)
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The Stevens Institute of Technology men’s volleyball team discovered something more valuable than another victory Wednesday night: proof that their undefeated start runs deeper than talent alone.
Facing a determined SUNY New Paltz squad that refused to surrender an inch, Stevens claimed their fourth consecutive triumph to open 2026, sweeping the Hawks in three fiercely contested sets that tested every element of championship character.
When Winning Gets Uncomfortable
The scoreboard shows a clean 3-0 sweep. The reality felt nothing like routine dominance.
Stevens built leads in all three sets, only to watch New Paltz claw back with the kind of relentless effort that transforms ordinary matches into memorable battles. Yet each time the margin tightened to razor-thin, the Ducks discovered the play that mattered most.
Julius Steimer exemplified this clutch mentality throughout his 11-kill, seven-dig performance punctuated by two crucial service aces. But the evening’s real story unfolded in those pressure-packed moments when the difference between 4-0 and 3-1 hung on a single swing, a critical dig, or the courage to attack when doubt creeps in.
Three Frames, Three Character Tests
Stevens opened with authority, surging to a 9-3 cushion behind Phillip Bone’s aggressive attacks and Steimer’s back-to-back aces. When Greg Li and Bone pushed the advantage to 12-4, the set appeared destined for comfortable resolution.
New Paltz had other plans. A 7-1 Hawks rally suddenly made it 19-17, transforming comfort into crisis. Joshua Levandoske answered with a kill that steadied the Ducks, allowing them to trade points before Steimer connected on a Nick Schmidt set for the 25-21 decision.
The second frame brought even greater drama. Four consecutive Stevens points, fueled partly by New Paltz miscues, built a 15-12 cushion. The Hawks battled back to within one before Stevens rebuilt a three-point margin at 23-20. A double block from Li and Schmidt created set point.
Then New Paltz fought off three set-point opportunities, each save ratcheting up the tension. But Levandoske refused to blink, converting another Schmidt set to seal the 25-23 frame and push Stevens within one set of victory.
The finale delivered the evening’s most riveting volleyball. Stevens fell behind 8-5 early before three straight New Paltz attack errors evened the score. What followed was a beautiful deadlock: ties at 9 through 14 as neither side could establish separation.
Stevens finally broke through with four consecutive points, capped by an Esteban Schmitt ace and two Levandoske kills that opened a 21-15 advantage. The match felt decided.
Instead, New Paltz unleashed a 7-1 rally to tie the set at 22, setting up a finish that neither team nor their supporters would soon forget. Bone delivered a kill for 23-22, then after a New Paltz error made it 24-23, added another to reach match point at 25-24.
The senior then stepped to the service line and hammered home an ace, punctuating the sweep with the kind of pressure moment that defines careers.
Contributions Beyond the Spotlight
While Steimer led all players alongside New Paltz’s Nikko Tenedorio (both with 11 kills), Stevens’ victory reflected the depth that separates good teams from great ones. Levandoske contributed nine kills and five digs. Tyler Hoke and Li each registered two blocks at critical junctures. Dominic Ambrose patrolled the back row with 11 digs while Schmidt orchestrated the offense with 30 assists.
Yet statistics alone cannot capture the sequence of plays that turned potential momentum shifts into Stevens victories: Li and Schmidt combining for that crucial double block at set point in the second, the timely defensive stops when New Paltz threatened to seize control, and the collective composure that allowed the Ducks to execute when precision mattered most.
The Road Ahead Rises Steeply
Stevens (4-0) now ventures to Union, New Jersey for the two-day Clash at Kean Tournament, where Friday’s 7:00 p.m. opener against top-ranked Juniata College awaits. The matchup represents a significant measuring stick for a team that has navigated four consecutive victories while learning valuable lessons about winning when comfort zones disappear.
New Paltz pushed Stevens across three sets. The Ducks claimed all three by a combined margin of just eight points. That’s not domination. That’s resolve.
And as any championship contender knows, learning to win tight matches in January prepares you for the pressure-packed moments that define March.