Men's Volleyball Kicks Off 2014 Season Friday

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team opens up their 19-game 2014 season with a road match this Friday, January 31 against Cooper Union.

The Bears finished second in their conference with a school record seven wins in 2013 and a semifinal loss in the Hudson Valley Men's Athletic Conference (HVMAC) Tournament to Sarah Lawrence. They will look to improve on their best record in the team's history under the helm of third-year coach and last year's HVMAC Coach of the Year Kristin Wulff. 

This season, St. Joseph's will compete in the newly rebranded Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC). The Bears will embark on six HVIAC games, playing two games each against Webb Institute, Sarah Lawrence and last year's undefeated HVMAC champion Yeshiva.

St. Joseph's will travel to Massachusetts for a doubleheader with Regis College and Mount Ida College on February 8. They return to Brooklyn Technical High School for their home opener on February 13 against Fontbonne University (Missouri), which will be the first time the teams have ever faced.  

March starts off for the team with six straight games on the road. The Bears aim to secure their first victory against both Lehman and Purchase College during this road stand.

The second half of March and April will see the Bears look to close out the season strong during a six-game home stand, playing against Yeshiva, Webb Institute, Medgar Evers, Brooklyn College, and Valley Forge Christian.

The team brings back all but one player from last season's squad, losing the Bears career kills and blocks leader, Martin Torres to graduation. But they won't lose his leader ship as the three-time All-HVMAC selection joins Wullf and assistant coach Kathleen O'Neill on the sidelines this season.

Among the players returning are Iqbal Husain (West Palm Beach, FL/Palm Beach Gardens) and Taso Kostikas (Brooklyn, NY/Midwood), who both made last year's HVMAC All-Conference Team.

Husain is the Bears' all-time leader in assists (781) and finished last season leading the Bears in assists in every match with double-digit assists in all but one game. Kostikas led the team in digs a team-high seven times and had ten or more digs six times during an impressive freshman campaign. Also coming back this season is Raul Urshela (Orlando, FL/Colonial), who led the team in kills (208) and digs (159), and closed out the 2013 season with a team-high 60 blocks.

The goal for the Bears is to be victorious at the HVIAC Tournament, which will take place on April 10 at Yeshiva University.