Men's Volleyball Battles Yeshiva

Men's Volleyball Battles Yeshiva

NEW YORK — The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team held leads in every set but couldn't upend their former HVIAC rivals Yeshiva University, falling 3-0 in Skyline Conference play on Wednesday night.

The Basics

  • Final Score: Yeshiva 3, St. Joseph's 0
  • Set Scores: 25-20, 25-22, 25-20
  • Records: Yeshiva (3-11, 3-6 Skyline), St. Joseph's (2-8, 1-6 Skyline)
  • Date: March 2, 2016
  • Location: New York, N.Y.
  • Arena: Max Stern Center

How it Happened

  • In the opening set, Thomas Kennedy powered a pair of early kills in leading the Bears to a 5-1 advantage.
  • Seven lead changes and nine ties ensued in a first-set battle. Knotted at 20-all, Yeshiva erupted for five straight points, the final two from Kolya Miller, for a dramatic first-set victory.
  • Looking to rebound, St. Joseph's raced out to an 8-2 lead in the second after opening the set with five unanswered. The Bears smashed two aces and Clyde Delacruz recorded a pair of kills to lead the early charge.
  • Yeshiva responded by rattling off nine straight points capped by Mathew Rosenberg's ace to move ahead 11-8.
  • St. Joseph's kept the Maccabees within reach as consecutive errors late in the second set had the Bears within 23-21. Kennedy's kill prolonged set-point and made it 24-22, but an ensuing ball handling error handed Yeshiva a 2-0 lead.
  • A competitive third set saw six lead changes nine ties and St. Joseph's fought to avoid a sweep. Another late kill from Kennedy brought the Bears within 23-20, but the Maccabees claimed victory with consecutive kills, the clincher coming from Rosenberg.

For the Bears

  • Thomas Kennedy led the offensive charge with a team-high nine kills, also adding a pair of digs and one assist.
  • Kyle Johnson tallied a career-high seven kills to go along with a .250 hitting percentage.
  • Alec Smalley and Thomas Ambrosino protected the back with a team leading nine digs apiece. Smalley also smashed five kills on offense.
  • Norrin Martinez racked up 23 assists to set up his teammates.

For the Maccabees

  • Kolya Miller notched a match-best 13 kills and helped solidify the defense with nine digs.
  • Michael Klein led all players with 10 digs, adding three kills and a pair of service aces.
  • Jorge Dabah set up the sweep with a 30-assist effort.
  • Itai David Guttman contributed six kills and one ace.

Inside the Box Score

  • Yeshiva was the more efficient offense hitting .190 (34-18-84), while the Bears operated at a .088 hitting rate (28-20-91).

The Bear Facts

  • Suffering their second consecutive sweep, the Bears' record now stands at 2-8 and 1-6 in league play.
  • Yeshiva claims the season sweep following their 3-1 victory at The Hill Center on February 14. The Maccabees also remain perfect and improve to 18-0 in the all-time series.

Next Up for St. Joseph's

The Bears travel to Riverdale, N.Y. on Saturday, March 5 for a pair of Skyline Conference meetings, facing off with New Jersey City at 10:30 a.m. and then Mount Saint Vincent at 1 p.m. Live stats will be available on SJCBears.com.