Men's Volleyball Celebrates Senior Night with Emphatic Five-Set Win Over Purchase

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's University, N.Y. (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team closed out the 2023 season with a 3-2 victory over Purchase College on Thursday night (25-21, 25-12, 13-25, 20-25, 15-13).

Alex Helfant's (Quito, Ecuador/Alliance Academy International) 30 kills came two shy of matching his own program-best 32, which he set while Alejandro Oliveros (Brooklyn, N.Y./Grover Cleveland) dished out 49 assists for the second time this season, one shy of matching the single-match program record. 

Lordnel Saint-Jean (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep), along with Oliveros, were honored in Senior Night ceremonies prior to first serve.

How it Happened

The Bears opened the contest with a 6-0 run. Despite a comeback bid from the Panthers, the navy and gray held on to the lead – thanks to eight kills from Helfant and four from Saint-Jean – to earn a 25-21 triumph.

After trading the first 10 points of the second set, SJBK notched seven of the next eight points to lead 10-6. An eight-point outburst following a Panther timeout gave the Bears further distance from Purchase, resulting in a 25-12 set win.

Despite the eight ties in the third set, there was only one lead change. When the advantage exchanged hands, the visitors held on thanks to seven unanswered points at 12-11. A pair of bad SJBK attacks and an ace capped off the Panthers' 12-point win, 25-13.

The Bears shook off the third-set defeat with a 16-10 lead in the fourth, hitting nine kills compared to Purchase's three. However, 10 of the next 13 points went the way of the visitors; giving them a 20-19 edge before their 25-20 win forced a decisive set.

Neither side led by more than two points during the fifth set with the Bears holding on to the advantage for much of the period. Frank Tello (Quito, Ecuador/Alliance Academy International) notched the final two kills of the set to confirm the Bears' 15-13 set win and 3-2 match victory.

For the Bears

• The five-setter was Helfant's second match with 30 or more kills. He had 14 digs, resulting in nine double-doubles this season.

• Oliveros' 49 assists brings him to 607 in his career, third most all time. He and Tello had a pair of service aces.

• Tello placed second on the team with 13 kills while leading with three blocks (two solo).

• Leonel Bravo (Astoria, N.Y./Queens Vocational & Technical) led the side with 16 digs.

• Saint-Jean finished with a campaign-best six kills and as many digs in his final collegiate match.

• SJBK have won all four of their five-set matches this season, having last done so in the 2015 season. Their streak in such matches is also the longest in team history.

• The Bears conclude the 2023 campaign with a 7-13 overall mark and a 6-8 conference mark; the most league wins in the Skyline era (since 2016).