Kennedy Slams 11 Kills But Purchase Slips Past Men's Volleyball in Three

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Senior Thomas Kennedy (Breezy Point, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) paced the Bears with a match-high-tying 11 kills, but the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team fell in straight sets to Purchase in a Skyline Conference meeting at The Hill Center on Sunday afternoon.

The Basics

• Final Score: Purchase 3, St. Joseph's 0
• Set Scores: 25-15, 25-22, 25-19
• Records: Purchase (9-10, 4-6 Skyline), St. Joseph's (2-11, 1-9 Skyline)
• Date: March 6, 2016
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Arena: The Hill Center

How it Happened

• The Bears rallied for three straight points early in the opening set to draw even at 8-all. But Purchase erupted for 10 unanswered to take a commanding lead and coasted to a 25-15 first-set victory.
• A competitive second set was 7-7 in the early going. Purchase capitalized on three Bear errors to move up 11-7, but St. Joseph's tallied four of the next five points to keep their opponent close.
• The remainder of the second went down to the wire. Facing set point at 24-21, Thomas Kennedy recorded a timely kill to extend play, but the Panthers clinched a 2-0 lead on the following point.
• A pair of kills from Clyde Delacruz powered a 4-1 lead for St. Joseph's to open the third. Purchase then notched seven of the next 10 points to claim their first lead of the set, 8-7.
• A 7-0 run midway through the third set made it 18-10 and put away the Bears for good as the Panthers clinched win in straight sets.

For the Bears

• Thomas Kennedy paced the Bears with a match-high-tying 11 kills to go along with seven digs.
• Clyde Delacruz slammed seven kills past the defense and finished with a .357 hitting percentage.
• Norrin Martinez dished out a match-high 22 assists.
• Thomas Ambrosino anchored the defense with a team-best nine digs, one shy of his career high.

For the Panthers

• Riley Damerell led the visitors' attack with an 11-kill effort, committing just one error for a .500 hitting percentage also adding seven digs.
• Andrew Schwab chipped in nine kills, six assists, four digs and three service aces.
• Griffin Rapp recorded a match-best 10 digs to go along with a pair of kills of offense.

Inside the Box Score

• The Bears victimized themselves with 19 hitting errors, recording 25 kills in 78 attempts for a .077 hitting percentage. The Panthers finished with a more efficient .205 attach rate (30-14-78).

The Bear Facts

• In the midst of a five-game skid, St. Joseph's record now stands at 2-11 and 1-9 in league-play. The Bears have two non-conference matches upcoming before returning to conference play next week.
• Purchase improves their record in the all-time series to a perfect 7-0.

Next Up for St. Joseph's

The Bears will clash with borough foe Medgar Evers College looking to sweep the season series in a non-conference road meeting on Tuesday, March 8 at 7 p.m.