Morales Earns First Skyline Women's Volleyball Player of the Week Accolade
NEW YORK — St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) freshman Cristina Morales (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) was named women's volleyball Skyline Conference Player of the Week following a strong 4-0 week, leading the Bears to their first-ever Skyline Championship berth.
The freshman recorded double-digit kills in three of the Bears four matches, totaling 55 kills on .197 hitting with 53 digs on the week. It is just the second time a Bear has received the honor and first since Lauren GaNun '16 received the award in 2015.
Morales first led the Bears with 13 kills in a straight-set victory over City College of New York at home on Tuesday (Oct. 23). The St. Edmund Prep product recorded a career-high 21 kills and added 17 digs in the five-set home thriller over Lehman College (Oct. 25) to complete her sixth double-double on the season. Their home wins prior to the tri-match at Farmingdale State were integral to building momentum as they needed to win both their final games to earn their first postseason berth.
In the opener against Farmingdale State on Sunday (Oct. 28), the Bears went to five sets for the sixth time this season and erased one-set deficits twice to force the deciding set. Morales final kill of the game gave the Bears their first win over the Rams in more than a decade, finishing with another double-double, her seventh of the season, with 13 kills and 23 digs.
In the second game of the tri-match, Morales added eight kills to put away Yeshiva University in straight sets to seal their first trip to the Skyline Championship.
The Sheepshead Bay native currently leads the Bears in total kills (204), kills per set (2.68), total points (236.5), and points per set (3.1). She was the first Bear to be named women's volleyball Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week, receiving the honor twice on September 17 and October 8.
Riding a five-game win streak and winners of seven of their last eight, Morales and the No. 6 Bears (12-10, 5-5 Skyline) will face sibling rivals No. 3 St. Joseph's College (Long Island), in the first round of the Skyline Championship on Tuesday (Oct. 30). First serve is set for 8 p.m. with live stats and video will be available at SJCBears.com.