Women’s Volleyball Joins the Fight Against Cancer Battling John Jay

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Donning special jerseys and playing in support of the American Cancer Society, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's volleyball team suffered just their second loss at The Hill Center on Tuesday night, dropping hard-fought four-set battle to John Jay College.

The Basics

• Final Score: John Jay 3, St. Joseph's 1 
• Set Scores: 25-20, 19-25, 30-28, 25-11
• Records: John Jay (10-11) St. Joseph's (10-11)
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y. — The Hill Center

How It Happened

• The Bears raced out to an 8-1 lead in the opening set and later led by as many as 10 at 15-5, but their momentum stalled late in the frame when the Bloodhounds won seven straight to take the lead and closed out the set winning 11 of the final 13 points.
• Despite losing starting setter Alanna Palomino to a leg injury midway through set two, the Bears used a 9-2 run to pull away for good. John Jay closed the gap to three late, before a Caitlyn Staab ace followed by a Elizabeth Qualiero kill puts the exclamation point on a 25-19 set to level the match.
• The third stanza turned into a dogfight with 13 ties and seven lead changes. The visitors won six straight to earn four set points, but SJC erased all four and then another before getting three chances of their own to steal the set. Unable to take advantage, the Bloodhounds served up back-to-back aces to take back the frame.
• The Bears ran out of gas in the fourth and John Jay ran off 10 straight points midway through the frame and closed out the match in four.

For the Bears

• Sophomore Nina DiCioccio led the Bears with eight kills and brought up a match-high 21 digs.
• Freshman Elizabeth Quahliero pounded six kills and stuffed three solo blocks, setting a new season-best.
• Freshman Valentina Urgo added five kills, against just one error and had six digs.
• Senior Samantha Cacace fell one dig shy of a double-double with 11 assists and nine digs.

The Bear Facts

• All proceeds from the game will be donated to the American Cancer Society. 
• Seven different Bears served up an ace in the match combining for 12 in total.
• John Jay extends their streak in the series to three and closes the Bears lead to 4-3.
• The Bears now fall to 6-2 in the Hill Center.
• St. Joseph's suffers their first loss to a CUNYAC foe this season, but stands at 7-1 against the local rival conference.
• Head Coach Kathleen O'Neill still stands at 99 wins for her career and will try to notch her 100th at home vs. Staten Island, a team who they swept last month.

Next up for St. Joseph's

The Bears will celebrate Senior Night in their home finale on Thursday, October 27, hosting the College of Staten Island in a non-conference match starting at 7 p.m. Seniors Samantha Rossi and Samantha Cacace will be honored in a ceremony prior to the game. Live stats and video will be available on SJCBears.com.