Four Bears Record Double-Doubles as Women’s Volleyball Takes Down CSI to Split Tri-Match

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Junior Nina DiCioccio (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep), sophomores Valentina Urgo (Astoria, N.Y./St. John's Prep) and Paige Csikortos (Rocky Point, N.Y./Rocky Point), and freshman Tiffany Garcia-Lawson (Floral Park, N.Y./St. John's) all recorded double-doubles as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's volleyball team overcame the College of Staten Island in five sets on Saturday to split their tri-match. The Bears' first match of the day ended in a 3-0 loss to Cedar Crest College.

The Basics

• Final Score (Match 1): Cedar Crest 3, St. Joseph's 0
• Set Scores (Match 1): 25-13, 25-14, 25-20
• Final Score (Match 2): St. Joseph's 3, Staten Island 2
• Set Scores (Match 2): 16-25, 25-20, 25-14, 9-25, 15-13
• Records: Cedar Crest (11-3), St. Joseph's (3-4), Staten Island (3-10)
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y. — The Hill Center

How It Happened vs. Cedar Crest

• The Falcons were off and running right away, mounting a 14-3 lead to begin the first. Eight kills in the set from Nicole Hill powered CC, and they cruised to a 25-13 win.
• More of the same occurred in the second, as the visitors found themselves ahead 14-6 early. Despite seven kills in the stanza from DiCioccio, the Bears dropped set number two, 25-14.
• Four kills from DiCioccio — three coming on assists from sophomore Paige Csikortos (Rocky Point, N.Y./Rocky Point) — lifted St. Joseph's to a 12-6 lead to open the third.
• The score tightened up late, with the Bears down by one, 19-18. However, a 6-2 Falcons' run capped off the sweep and their 10th victory of 2017.

How It Happened vs. Staten Island

• The match started back-and-forth, with the Dolphins holding a slim 9-8 lead in the first. This wouldn't last though, as the visitors capitalized on a 7-1 run late in the stanza to pull away, winning it 25-16.
• CSI came out strong in the second, gaining an early 7-2 lead. This didn't diminish SJC in the slightest, as seven kills and three aces from DiCioccio fueled a comeback and led the Bears to a momentum-shifting 25-20 set win.
• The momentum stayed with St. Joseph's in the third, as they led the entire set en route to a convincing 25-14 victory and a 2-1 match advantage. Csikortos came away with seven assists and seven digs in the frame as the backbone of the Bears' attack.
• Staten Island refused to go down without a fight, steamrolling their way through the fourth set. They used a 10-1 run to close it out and come away on top 25-9, with Teresa Maresca racking up five kills to pace CSI.
• In the decisive first set, sophomore Briana Marrazzo (East Elmhurst, N.Y./St. John's Prep) rattled off three aces to put the home team 5-0 right away, and eventaully up 10-3. The Dolphins didn't back down, coming within one at 14-13. However, Marrazzo would come up big again, slamming the deciding kill to give women's volleyball their third victory of 2017.

For the Bears

• Against Staten Island, DiCioccio shined, compiling 14 kills, four aces, and 17 digs on her way to a team-high 18 points. She also came away with another double-double against Cedar Crest, tallying 14 kills and 16 digs. Her two double-doubles today were her first and second of the season.
• Garcia-Lawson performed well all-around versus the Dolphins, with her 11 kills and 10 digs amounting to a double-double (second of the year), but she contributed two aces and two blocks as well.
• Csikortos was the Bears' maestro in the victory, dishing out a whopping 32 assists, which paired with her 25 digs amounted to another SJC double-double (second of 2017). On top of that, she nearly earned a triple-double with seven aces.
• Urgo hit .213 against CSI while racking up 12 kills and 10 digs for her first double-double as a sophomore.

The Bear Facts

• Marrazzo set a career-high in aces with seven against CSI.
• With the win the Bears are now 16-16 all time, and 1-0 in 2017 in five-set matches.
• SJC now moves to 3-1 versus the CUNYAC on the year.

Next Up for the Bears
Their last non-conference before three-straight Skyline matches, taking on John Jay on the road on Tuesday (Oct. 3). First serve is at 6 p.m. with live video available at SJCBears.com.