Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Pratt Twice in Clinton Hill Battle

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team collected their first wins of the season with a pair of 3-0 victories over Willoughby Avenue rivals Pratt Institute, wrapping up their non-conference schedule on Monday evening.

The Bears (2-14) put away 81 kills over both three-set affairs led by Matthew Helfant's (Quito, Ecuador/Alliance Academy International) 32 kills. Brother Alex Helfant (Quito, Ecuador/Alliance Academy International) put down 21 kills and landed 13 aces. The victories were also the first collegiate wins for first-year head coach Sean Salomons.

Match 1: St. Joseph's 3, Pratt 0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-19)

After an early Bears three-point lead, Pratt crept out to a 14-10 advantage, but the Bears closed out the frame on a 15-2 run powered by a pair of aces by Alejandro Oliveros (Brooklyn, N.Y./Grover Cleveland) and six aces and two kills by A. Helfant.

A. Helfant and Oliveros combined for three early kills in set three as the Bears won the first five points and never looked back for a 2-0 set lead. Set three still remained tied at 11-all but SJC scored four unanswered and never trailed again, holding on for the straight-set win.

A. Helfant paced the attack with career-highs of 14 kills, 355 hitting and six aces. M. Helfant put down 13 kills with a team-high seven digs and landed four aces.

Rogers Hatanga Kwiringira (Corona, N.Y./Greater New York Academy) added seven kills and Oliveros dished out 29 assists with a career-high five kills.

Match 2: St. Joseph's 3, Pratt 0 (25-23, 25-11, 25-11)

A hotly contested opening set saw 11 ties and neither team ahead by more than three points. The hosts used a 3-0 run to reverse an SJC 22-20 advantage to a 23-22 Pratt lead, but M. Helfant put down three straight kills to close out the set.

The Cannoneers won the first three points of the second stanza, but SJC took control with a 14-2 run and never looked back. Pratt would win the first two points of the third but the Bears responded with an 11-1 run and held the hosts to 11 points for the second straight set.

M. Helfant led all attackers with 19 kills at a blistering .552 clip — setting two new program single-game records for hitting percentage and kills in a three-set match. He also added a match-high 12 digs for his third double-double of the season.

Kwiringira matched a career-high with nine kills. A. Helfant chipped in seven kills and served as many aces — setting a new career-high for the second time on the night. Oliveros handed out 23 assists and Jonathan Oca (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King) dished out 10 assists as the Bears hit a season-high .264 for the match.

Next Up

The Bears return home to host New Jersey City University on Tuesday, March 29 for a Skyline Conference affair starting at 7:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on SJCBears.com/live.