Lady Bears Win Thriller Over New Rochelle

BROOKLYN, NY – St. Joseph's and New Rochelle is turning into a strong rivalry and must-watch women's volleyball. That sentiment was perpetuated after last night's heart-pounding match. The Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference (HVWAC) foe's met for the first time this season after the Blue Angels got the better of the Lady Bears in a five-set match in the HVWAC Championship game a year ago. This time, the Lady Bears took advantage of a packed home-crowd for a 3-1 win.

The victory sets up a key matchup on Sunday against Culinary Institute, with the winner taking home the HVWAC regular season title.

St. Joseph's (10-8, 3-0 HVWAC) came firing out of the gates, scoring the first seven points of the first set. New Rochelle (11-8, 2-3 HVWAC) came on towards the end for a late rally, but it was too little, too late and the Lady Bears made their early lead hold up for a 25-19 win.

St. Joseph's had all the momentum from their first set win and a packed house behind them feeding more energy into the building. The second set was a nail-biter with the crowd standing through the 15 ties and five lead changes. Neither team was able to build more than a four-point lead. St. Joseph's built their largest lead at 24-20 making them just a point away from taking a commanding 2-0 match lead. The Blue Angels wouldn't give up easily though, scoring the next three points to cut the lead to 24-23. New Rochelle had a chance to tie, but freshman Nicole Rios (Astoria, NY/Mary Louis) squashed those chances with her fourth kill of the set to preserve the win.

The third set belonged to New Rochelle. The Blue Angels led from start to finish and won the set 25-17 giving themselves a chance at a comeback.

Set number four started the same as the third. Momentum had swung over to the Blue Angels and it looked like the match was headed for a fifth set for the third straight time between these teams. The once raucous crowd was now deflated, waiting for someone to give them something to cheer about. Trailing 11-4, it was senior Kim Matthews (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) who stepped up and injected life back into the team and the crowd. Matthews crushed four kills in a span of seven plays to draw the Lady Bears back even. The match remained deadlocked the rest of the way, tied as late as 22-22. St. Joseph's offense took charge a final time with two kills from Megan Moran (Syosset, NY/St. Dominic's) and Matthews delivered the final blow to win the set and their first match against New Rochelle since 2008.

Matthews tied her career best with a match-high 27 digs. She also led the game with 14 kills, eight of those coming in the fourth and final set. It was her seventh double-double of the season and the tenth game in a row she's finished with double-digit digs.

Fellow senior Kathy McCarthy (Breezy Point, NY/Fontbonne Hall) also matched a career high with 24 digs. Moran and Rios added to the offensive firepower with 11 and 10 kills respectively. Sabrina Cornia (Miller Place, NY/Miller High) helped to direct the attack, handing out 28 assists.

New Rochelle was led by Elizabeth Johnston and Delila Rosado. The teammates notched 12 and 11 kills respectively. Five Blue Angels finished with double-digit digs. Rosado, along with Zena Jamal and Kristina Nilaj each registered 16 digs. Jamal also recorded a game-high 30 assists.

The Lady Bears stay at home for a tri-match on Saturday with Bryn Athyn and Mount Saint Vincent. St. Joseph's takes on Bryn Athyn first at 4:00 pm and Mount Saint Vincent in the nightcap, starting at 8:00 pm.