The Bear Facts

St. Joseph’s (Brooklyn) began the Vera Franzese era with a 3-1 victory over Baruch College last Tuesday. Trailing by as many as 11 in the opening set, the Bears fought back to come within three of the Bearcats before the hosts took the set.

The navy and gray began the second set with a 10-6 advantage before Baruch stormed back and saw set point at 24-19. A seven-point run, led by a pair of kills from rookie Martina Urgo, saw SJC win the set 26-24. The Bears took the next two sets, 25-14 and 25-19, to earn their first season-opening win since the 2017 campaign.

Newcomer Grace Kane’s nine kills led the Bears’ attack while Urgo and Cristina Morales totaled seven kills each. Kane and Morales also served three aces apiece against the Bearcats. Kaitlyn Intindola handed out 21 assists and recorded a pair of service aces in the fourth set.

Defensively, five Bears logged double-digit digs led by Carol Melo’s 20. Kane provided 17 digs of her own and Julie Boyd had 14 to round out the top three on the team against Baruch. 

Ayomide Adeoye picked up a pair of blocks to go with five kills in the win.

The Bears dropped a straight-set decision to City College back in 2019 at The Hill Center. Despite the result, a three-match win streak against the Beavers from 2016-18 sees SJC lead the all-time series, 4-3.

The Beaver Bulletin 

The City College of New York women’s volleyball team heads to Clinton Hill for a match against St. Joseph’s (Brooklyn) on Tuesday evening to conclude their season-opening road trip. Following a pair of straight-set defeats to Pratt and New Jersey City, the Beavers will look for their first win of the season.

Freshman Natalia Abreu leads the team in kills in each of the first two games; registering five against the Cannoneers in the opener and four against the Gothic Knights. She, along with Bianka Catral, has three service aces in two games.

Colorado native Anna Plotnick handed out 17 assists this season, including 10 against NJCU. The rookie and junior Nadia Campoverde, the lone upperclassman on the roster, rank second on the Beavers in digs as Viviana Alatorre’s 13 is good for first.

Placing fifth in the CUNY Athletic Conference preseason poll, the Beavers – led by coach Andrijana Todorovic – reached the conference tournament in each of the last two seasons. Last season, they reached the semifinal where they fell to eventual winners Hunter College, 3-1.

CCNY won their last meeting with the Bears in 2019, winning in straight sets as part of a three-game win streak going into October of that season.