Men's Volleyball Notches First Skyline Win in Sweep of Sarah Lawrence at Ramapo Tri-Match

MAHWAH, N.J. — Seniors Clyde Delacruz (Brooklyn, N.Y./Frederick Douglas Acad. II) and Thomas Kennedy (Breezy Point, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) led the Bears with 10 kills apiece on the day as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team split a pair of Skyline Conference matches on Saturday afternoon in Mahwah, N.J., controlling Sarah Lawrence in a sweep before falling in straight sets to first-place Ramapo.

The Basics

• Final Score (Match 1): St. Joseph's 3, Sarah Lawrence 0
• Set Scores: 25-18, 25-20, 25-15
• Final Score (Match 2): Ramapo 3, St. Joseph's 0
• Set Scores: 25-12, 25-9, 25-8
• Records: Ramapo (9-8, 7-1 Skyline), St. Joseph's (2-7, 1-5 Skyline), Sarah Lawrence (0-7, 0-5 Skyline)
• Date: February 27, 2016
• Location: Mahwah, N.J.
• Arena: Bradley Center

How it Happened vs. Sarah Lawrence

• Leading 6-4 in the first set, St. Joseph's took advantage of five errors to claim the next six points of the match and build a commanding 12-4 lead.
• Sarah Lawrence would be unable to draw closer than four the remainder of the set as Thomas Ambrosino's kill clinched a 25-18 opening set victory.
• The Bears moved up 5-3 early in the second, but Sarah Lawrence recorded seven of the next eight points to charge ahead 10-6.
• Trailing 11-7, a pair of kills from Thomas Kennedy powered a 7-0 push and altered the momentum of the second set as they cruised to a 25-20 win.
• St. Joseph's controlled play early in the third set as well, jumping out to a 7-4 lead on four kills from Clyde Delacruz.
• They claimed firm control of the set with another 7-0 run spurred by three errors that moved them up 14-7 and catapulted them to a 25-15 match-clincher.

How it Happened vs. Ramapo

• Ramapo utilized three early errors to claim the first five points of the match.
• Nick Amos' service ace opened the Bear deficit to 10-2. Kyle Johnson's kill made it 21-12 later in the set as St. Joseph's played catch-up, but Ramapo recorded the final four points to claim a 25-12 triumph in the first.
• A service error had the Bears within 9-6 as the second set remained competitive early. But the Roadrunners rattled off 12 consecutive points powered by three kills from Justin Feigeles as they coasted to a 2-0 match lead.
• Spencer Shickora blasted four service aces early in the third set to spur a 10-0 run and 11-1 lead. St. Joseph's would be unable to recover, falling 25-8 and succumbing to a sweep.

For the Bears

• Clyde Delacruz and Thomas Kennedy each led St. Joseph's with 10 kills on the day. Delacruz recorded a match-high seven in the sweep over Sarah Lawrence, while Kennedy led the Bears with four in a losing effort against Ramapo.
• Kennedy also anchored the defense with 19 digs, including a match-high 15 in the opener.
• Alec Smalley contributed 14 total digs, seven in each match, and seven kills.
• Norrin Martinez fed the offense with 29 assists, including a match-high 18 against the Gryphons.

For the Gryphons vs. SJC

• Callan Moor led the offense with six kills, adding four digs and one service ace.
• Isaac Gamboa fortified the back with a team-best 12 digs while also contributing a pair of kills and one ace.
• Richard Warke orchestrated 12 assists in a losing effort.

For the Roadrunners vs. SJC

• Nine players slammed at least one kill, led by eight from Justin Feigeles.
• Paul Close added six kills and recorded a team-high eight digs.
• Spencer Shickora pounded a match-best five aces past the Bear defense.
• Mikhael Erushalimski orchestrated the offensive charge with 24 assists.

Inside the Box Score vs. Sarah Lawrence

• The Gryphons victimized themselves with 17 errors, recording 15 kills in 76 attempts for a -.026 hitting percentage.
• St. Joseph's hitting rate was .050 as they recorded 26 skills and slammed 10 aces.
• Sarah Lawrence led briefly midway through the second set, but never led in the first or third.

Inside the Box Score vs. Ramapo

• Ramapo was methodical on offense, committing just six errors and slamming 33 kills in 64 attack attempts for a .422 hitting rate.
• St. Joseph's struggled to a -.067 hitting rate (12-16-60). They never led in the match and were held to single digits in the final two sets.

The Bear Facts

• St. Joseph's snapped a six-game skid with their sweep over Sarah Lawrence. The Bears improve to 8-2 all-time over their former Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rivals, taking the last five meetings.
• Following their loss against Ramapo, their record now stands at 2-7 and 1-5 in league-play. It was the first meeting against the Roadrunners in program history.

Next Up for St. Joseph's

The Bears clash with rival Yeshiva for a Skyline Conference road affair on Wednesday, March 2 at 8 p.m. St. Joseph's will look to salvage a split of the season series after dropping a 3-1 decision at The Hill Center just two weeks ago.