Men's Volleyball Pounds 49 Kills Completing Season Sweep of Medgar Evers

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Seniors Thomas Kennedy (Breezy Point, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) and Clyde Delacruz (Brooklyn, N.Y./Frederick Douglas Acad. II) slammed 14 kills each powering a season-high 49-kill effort as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team overcame dropping their opening set and defeated Medgar Evers College, 3-1, in a non-conference road triumph on Tuesday night.

The Basics

• Final Score: St. Joseph's 3, Medgar Evers 1
• Set Scores: 21-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-19
• Records: St. Joseph's (3-11), Medgar Evers (1-16)
• Date: March 8, 2016
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Arena: The Cougars Cave

How it Happened

• Consecutive aces had the Cougars up 19-15 late in a back-and-forth first set. A pair of kills from Alec Smalley powered a string of four straight to draw St. Joseph's back even. But five consecutive errors handed Medgar Evers a comfortable 24-19 advantage and set point, which they converted shortly after for a 25-21 win.
• The Bears raced out to a 6-1 lead in the second set led by a pair of service aces from Norrin Martinez. With the Bears nursing a 21-17 advantage later in the set, the Cougars answered with a four-point rally to level the frame. After trading points, Thomas Kennedy's timely kill gave the Bears set point at 24-23 and Norrin Martinez slipped a set-clinching ace past the defense to draw even at 1-1.
• St. Joseph's got an early jump on their opponent in the third set as well, claiming the opening five points highlighted by a pair of kills from Martinez. Gripping a commanding 23-18 advantage, Medgar Evers countered with four consecutive points to force another nailbiter finish. But the Bears remained poised and claimed two of the final three points for a 2-1 match lead.
• Knotted at 7-all early in the fourth, two kills from Smalley powered a 4-0 run for St. Joseph's. The Bears would lead the remainder of the way, riding the 16-kill set, with six coming from Delacruz, to a four-set victory.

For the Bears

• Thomas Kennedy and Clyde Delacruz each notched team highs with 14 kills apiece.
• Kennedy also recorded a match-high 13 digs for his third double-double of the season.
• Delacruz was efficient committing just four errors on 23 swings registering a career-high .435 hitting percentage.
• Norrin Martinez fed his teammates with a season-high 40 assists. He also added three kills and four service aces on offense.
• Sophomore Alec Smalley contributed eight kills and nine digs for a near double-double.

For the Cougars

• Jamal Chance peppered the Bear defense with a match-best 16 kill-effort, also adding 11 digs on defense for a double-double.
• Shaquille Miller recorded eight digs and powered six kills.
• Angel Seda set up the offense with 25 assists.

Inside the Box Score

• The Bears slammed a season-high 49 kills, finishing with 27 errors and 121 attack attempts for an efficient .182 hitting percentage, while Medgar Evers hit .120 (29-18-92).

The Bear Facts

• St. Joseph's snaps a five-game skid with the victory and improves to 3-11 on the season.
• Following their five-set victory to open the campaign on February 3, the Bears sweep the season series and improve to 11-6 all-time against Medgar Evers, taking the last 10 meetings.

Next Up for St. Joseph's

The Bears welcome Clinton Hill rivals Pratt Institute to the The Hill Center on Thursday, March 10 for a non-conference clash against their former HVIAC rivals. Start time is slated for 7 p.m. with live stats and video available at SJCBears.com.