Women’s Volleyball Finishes 4-4 vs. CUNYAC with Loss at Lehman

BRONX, N.Y. — Paige Csikortos (Rocky Point, N.Y./Rocky Point) notched a double-double with 21 assists and 13 digs, but the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's volleyball team fell to Lehman College on Tuesday night. The Lighting took the first two sets, with the Bears rallying to take the third. Then, the hosts squeaked out a 25-22 victory in the fourth frame to clinch their seventh win of 2017.

The Basics

• Final Score: Lehman 3, St. Joseph's 1
• Set Scores: 25-19, 25-15, 19-25, 25-22
• Records: Lehman (7-20), St. Joseph's (7-11)
• Location: Bronx, N.Y. — The Apex

How It Happened

• The Bears began the match with a quick 8-3 lead, led by two blocks and a kill from junior Nina DiCioccio (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep). Despite this, the Lighting kept pushing and sprinted out to their own 9-1 run to take control of the set. Affairs were back and forth for the remainder of the first, but the Bears were unable to catch up, falling 25-19.
• A 5-1 run for SJC evened the second set at six, but Lehman promptly scored seven straight to, as they did in the first, take control. Caitlin Vernon led the home team with four kills to take it 25-15 and go up 2-0.
• Fight remained in the Bears, as they found themselves deadlocked at 10 in the third. The two squads remained close until three straight St. Joseph's kills (all on helpers from Csikortos) put them ahead 19-16. SJC subsequently hung on for a 25-19 win in the stanza, keeping them alive.
• Momentum seemed to remain with the Bears when they rode five combined aces from sophomores Briana Marrazzo (East Elmhurst, N.Y./St. John's Prep) and Valentina Urgo (Astoria, N.Y./St. John's Prep) to lead 9-2 in the fourth. Consistent with the previous sets, Lehman answered SJC's advances, using a 10-3 run to even the score at 14. The Lightning finished strong as well, narrowly escaping with a 25-22 win to wrap up the contest.

For the Bears

• Csikortos reached double-digit double-doubles on the season with her tenth, on 21 dimes and 13 digs.
• DiCioccio led the blue in gray in points with 15, coming on nine kills, three blocks, and three aces, along with 14 digs.
• Marrazzo picked up a season-high 24 digs, as well as 12 points via four kills, a match-high six aces, and two blocks.

The Bear Facts

• Marrazzo's 24 digs are the second-highest output of her career, with her best (25) coming last season in a win over Brooklyn College (Oct. 20).
• The Bears finished 2017 with a 4-4 record against the CUNYAC, which is down from last season's 8-1 mark.

Next Up for the Bears

• Their final non-conference matchup, and last match of 2017 at The Hill Center, against New Jersey City University on Thursday (Oct. 26). First serve is 7 p.m. with live stats and video at SJCBears.com.