Women’s Volleyball Drops Two at Inaugural Battle of Brooklyn Tri-Match

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's University, N.Y. (Brooklyn) women's volleyball team, along with Pratt Institute and Brooklyn College, took part in the inaugural Battle of Brooklyn tri-match on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, the Bears (3-5) dropped the first match to the host Cannoneers (13-25, 18-25, 12-15) before falling to the Bulldogs (11-25, 13-25, 20-25); both in straight sets.

How it Happened vs. Pratt

The Cannoneers opened the contest with a 9-3 advantage. They would overpower the Bears attack, registering 11 kills to the Bears' three en route to a 25-13 set win.

The hosts were able to shake off three ties early in the second set. Martina Urgo (Astoria, N.Y./St. John's Prep), Mireia Alba (Barcelona, Spain), and Jillian McGinty (Glendale, N.Y./Queens Metropolitan) spearheaded the St. Joseph's attach with a combined seven kills but it was not enough as Pratt, who hit at a .424 clip, took the set, 25-18.

The closing set began with a 6-0 Cannoneer run before their lead ultimately grew to 11, 15-4. They saw their largest lead of the match during the set, possessing a 14-point advantage, before claiming the set, 25-12, and the match in straight sets.

How it Happened vs. Brooklyn

The Bulldogs built an early 8-1 cushion to begin the opening set before adding further distance at 16-4. The Bears benefited from Brooklyn mistakes to notch seven of the next nine points. However, the Bulldogs pulled away to a 25-11 win thanks to a 7-0 run to conclude the stanza.

A large portion of the second set was closely contested, with Urgo securing a pair of kills with assistance from Alba, McGinty, and Rachel Guerra (Kent Island, Md./Kent Island). However, momentum shifted drastically as the Bears went from being only slightly behind at 10-9 to trailing 22-9 due to a 12-point scoring spree by the Bulldogs. The CUNYAC outfit clinched the set with a score of 25-13.

The conclusion of the previous set lit a fire in the Bears to begin the third set. The navy and gray held a 12-7 advantage, their largest of the day. The lead was propelled by aces from Urgo, Rachel Meltsin (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison), and Danielle Bourne (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King). The lead swung back in the Bulldogs' favor but the Bears were within touching distance before falling by five, 25-20.

For the Bears vs. Pratt

• The aforementioned trio of Urgo, Alba, and McGinty combined for 12 kills.

• Individually, Urgo led the side with six kills and eight digs.

• Guerra finished with six digs and a pair of service aces.

• Meltsin distributed 12 assists.

For the Bears vs. Brooklyn College

• Urgo had the match lead in digs with 15.

• Alba joined Urgo with double-digit digs, posting 10.

• Urgo (6) and Alba (5) combined for 11 kills.

• McGinty and Guerra had a pair of kills each.

• McGinty also brought up eight digs.

• Meltsin had 15 assists and a pair of aces.

Up Next

The Bears return to The Hill Center and Skyline play when they host Farmingdale State College on Monday, October 2 at 7 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on sjbkathletics.com/live.