Bears Volleyball Can’t Hold Off Yeshiva, Falling In Five-Set Battle

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team was unable to make it back-to-back wins on Thursday night, falling to Hudson Valley Men's Athletic Conference (HVMAC) regular-season champions Yeshiva University in an epic five-set conference battle (20-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-22, 19-17) on Thursday night at Brooklyn Technical High School.

The Bears (3-9, 2-3 HVMAC) won the first and third sets to hold a lead in the overall match, before Yeshiva (10-16, 6-0 HVMAC) forced a fifth set where they fought off four match points to complete HVMAC play undefeated and winning their sixth straight.

Sophomore Raul Urshela (Orlando, FL/Colonial) led all attackers pounding a season-high 19 kills along with five blocks, both match highs. Senior Martin Torres (Ozone Park, NY/St. Francis Prep) slammed 13 kills paired with seven kills. Junior Iqbal Husain (West Palm Beach, FL/Palm Beach Gardens) posted his second career double-double handing out 25 assists with 10 digs. Freshman Taso Kostikas (Brooklyn, NY/Midwood) anchored the defense with a career- and team-high 16 digs.

Yeshiva was paced by a near triple-double from senior Jared Rechnitz who posted 15 kills, 13 digs and nine aces. Freshman Jorge Dabah dished out 40 assists and junior libero Aaron Begin had 21 digs.

The Bears got off to a hot start on Lupus Awareness Night, never trailing in the opening set and Torres and Urshela combining for eight kills en route to a 25-20 first set win, the Bears first set lead in 11 meetings all-time.

Despite Urshela's six kills in the second stanza, the Yeshiva answered back with a 25-20 victory of their own, the Maccabees producing their best offensive set with 12 kills at a .219 attack percentage.

After falling behind 21-15 in the third set, the Bears stunned the Maccabees winning the final 10 points of the frame—Torres contributing three kills during the run—to take a 2-1 lead 

The Bears remained within three points throughout a tight fourth set, but couldn't close the gap, in a 25-22 set loss, setting the table for a decisive fifth set of the night.

St. Joseph's took control of the final set with a 7-1 run that opened a 9-5 advantage, a lead they would maintain until Yeshiva fought off back-to-back match points to level the set at 14-14. Rechnitz's 15th kill of the night gave the Macs a match point of their own, which the Bears would also fight off. The Bears gained two more match points off Urshela's 18^th kill and later a Maccabee error, but couldn't close out their first victory in the series, Yeshiva completing the comeback winning the final three points led by two Daniel Lapson kills.

The five-setter was the first since going the distance with Medgar Evers nearly four years to the day for the lone win of their 2009 campaign. It's the first of five five-set matches in Bears history to require extra points in the deciding set.

St. Joseph's won't have long to shake off the loss returning to action on Friday, March 22nd, concluding a four-match stretch at home against Berkeley College (NJ). First serve is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Brooklyn Technical High School.