Women's Volleyball Downed by Staten Island in Straight Sets

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Despite a double-double effort from junior Lauren GaNun (Breezy Point, N.Y./Fontbonne Hall), the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's volleyball team dropped a straight-set decision, 3-0 (25-20, 35-33, 25-17) on Tuesday night at the CSI Sports and Recreation Center.

GaNun led St. Joseph's (1-1) with 15 kills and a career-best 27 digs for her 12th career double-double. The Lady Bears totaled 71 digs and three finished in double figures with Anna Carbone (Ozone Park, N.Y./Mary Louis) adding 13 digs and senior Jennifer Moncino (Ridgewood, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) contributing 11 digs. Sophomore Samantha Cacace (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) directed the offense with 13 assists.

Staten Island (2-0) remained perfect on the season and was led by Pola Poskrobko who put down a match-high 17 kills and added 14 digs for the double-double. Selma Kolenovic chipped in nine kills and nine digs.

The squads traded the lead several times in the opening frame, but with the Dolphins holding a 19-17 advantage scored five of the next six points to reach set point and closed out the set 25-20.

The Lady Bears seemed poised to level the match in set two, jumping out to a 17-10 lead, but the hosts rolled off eight unanswered to take the lead at 18-17 and both squads went back-and-forth requiring extra points to settle a winner. St. Joseph's fought off six set points and couldn't capitalize on three set points of their own, before falling 35-33 on back-to-back Kolenovic kills that gave the Dolphins a two-set lead.

The Lady Bears couldn't gather any additional momentum in the third set, falling behind 9-3 early in the frame and unable to reel back the hosts.

St. Joseph's returns to the court on Thursday, September 11 hitting the road to face future Skyline Conference foes SUNY College at Old Westbury starting at 7 p.m.