Men's Volleyball Turns Back Medgar Evers to Snap Three-Game Skid

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - A slow start and a loss in the first set hindered the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team, but they rebounded to win three straight sets to defeat Medgar Evers College, 3-1 (25-20, 25-15, 25-14, 25-16), Wednesday night at the Medgar Evers gym.

The Bears (2-3) were led by junior Raul Urshela (Orlando, Fla./Colonial), who slammed 23 kills and senior Iqbal Husain (West Palm Beach, Fla./Palm Beach Gardens) totalled 32 assists against the Cougars (0-5).

Taso Kostikas (Brooklyn, N.Y./Midwood) added six kills and 14 digs for the Bears, while junior Clyde Delacruz (Brooklyn, N.Y./Frederick Douglas Academy II) added five kills each as all six starters recorded a kill. As a team, the Bears connected on 39 kills and handed out 35 assists.

Jamal Chance contributed 15 kills for Medgar Evers, while Angel Seda dished out 18 assists for the Cougars in a losing cause.

The first set saw St. Joseph's initally jump out to a 10-6 advantage, but the Cougars ripped off a 9-0 run to take a lead they would never relinquish. This win snapped Medgar Evers' 57-set losing streak. The Bears had nine errors in the losing set.

The second stanza saw the Bears recover from their first set loss with four consecutive points to start off the set. Urshela capitalized on five kills, and Kostikas had three consecutive service aces to pad the St. Joseph's lead as they even the match at a set apiece.

In the third set, the Cougars fought back and grabbed a 12-9 lead. Then, the Bears would not give up another point as they exploded for 14 straight points to secure their second set of the match. Urshela and Kostikas combined for 14 kills in the set, while Thomas Kennedy (Breezy Point, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) had five service aces.

The final frame had saw both teams go back and forth, then an 11-1 Bears run gave the team a cushion that they would not relinquish as St. Joseph's closed out their second win of the 2014 season.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Bears hit .196 for the match (39 K-18 E-35 A), while the Cougars hit for a .151 percentage (31 K-17 E-21 A).

THE BEAR FACTS

• The Bears had a clean second set, not giving up a single error throughout.
• Urshela's 23 kills pushed him past 50 kills for the season.
• St. Joseph's snapped a three-game losing streak with their victory.

NEXT UP FOR THE BEARS

St. Joseph's will have some time in between matches, when they go on the road to take on Lehman College on March 5 at 8:00 p.m.