Union, N.J. - Hunter College men's volleyball opened up the 2019 season on Friday and Saturday in a tournament at Kean University, going 0-3 on the weekend with losses to Kean, Stevenson University and Messiah College.

#4 Kean 3, Hunter 0
The Hawks dropped their season opener on Friday night to #4 nationally ranked Kean University in three sets with scores of 25-20, 25-21 and 25-23.

The Cougars hit .294 in the match, holding Hunter to a mark of .026.

Qendrim Shala led the team with nine kills, followed by six from Michael Jazgarski.

Alec Helford posted 19 assists in the loss, adding five digs.

#7 Stevenson 3, Hunter 0
The Purple and Gold opened up Saturday competition by dropping a three-set match to #7 ranked Stevenson, featuring scores of 25-20, 25-14 and 25-23.

The Hawks took at 23-22 lead in the third set, but allowed the Mustangs to record three-straight kills to end the match.

Shala led the Hawks offensively again, registering 12 kills, while Jazgarski chipped in six.

Helford ended the loss with 24 assists and Blake Hogan led the team on defense with seven digs. Chris Scandole added six digs.

Messiah 3, Hunter 2
The third match of the tournament proved to be the most competitive as the Hawks fell in five to the Falcons.

Hunter took the first set with a close score of 28-26, dropped the second 25-15, won the third 25-10 and then fell in the last two with scores of 25-17 and 15-12.

Shala continued to guide the Hawks, posting 16 kills, while freshman Christian Maisonet followed with 11. Jazgarski added ten kills in the five-set loss.

Helford paced the offense with 38 assists, also recording 11 digs on defense.

Scandole registered a team-high 12 digs at libero.

The Hawks return to the court on Wednesday, January 30 when they host the College of Saint Elizabeth at 5:30 p.m. at the Sportsplex.