Multiple Records Fall But Men's Volleyball Nipped by Pratt in Five-Set Marathon

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Senior Thomas Kennedy (Breezy Point, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) smashed a career-high 22 kills, senior Norrin Martinez (Maspeth, N.Y./Holy Cross) set up a program-record 50 assists as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team combined for a program-record 62 kills, but the Bears were unable to clinch the season sweep of Clinton Hill rivals Pratt Institute in a thrilling, back-and-forth five-set affair on Wednesday night.

The Basics

• Final Score: Pratt 3, St. Joseph's 2
• Set Scores: 24-26, 28-26, 20-25, 25-13, 18-16
• Records: Pratt (7-3), St. Joseph's (5-14)
• Date: March 30, 2016
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Arena: Pratt ARC

How it Happened

• St. Joseph's trailed most of the first set and faced a 20-15 deficit late. But the Bears notched nine of the next 11 points to claim set point at 24-22, slamming four kills in the span. Pratt fought off set point twice to draw even, but Clyde Delacruz's kill and an ensuing error allowed the Bears to draw first blood at 1-0.
• In the second set, the sides combined for 32 kills in another thrilling finish. St. Joseph's controlled the first half, building a 17-12 lead. But Pratt recorded seven of the next eight points to move up 19-18. The Cannoneers slammed five kills in the span to claim their first lead since being up 4-3 in the opening stages. As the sides traded blows, Thomas Kennedy's kill gave the Bears a set point at 24-23. But Pratt fought off three set points drawing even at 26-all before a Matthew Valentine's kill and a Bear error clinched the set and a 1-1 tie.
• St. Joseph's leapt out to a 5-0 lead in the third and never trailed in cruising to a dramaless 25-20 victory. They powered 11 kills in the set, four of them from Thomas Kennedy.
• Facing defeat down 2-1, Pratt responded with a dominant fourth set. Eight unanswered early in the set moved them up 9-3 and set the tone. They recorded the final seven points, four of them service aces from David Cutler, for a 25-13 win.
• Pratt opened the fifth and final set with four unanswered and held an early 8-2 lead at the changeover powered by five kills from David Cuter. After the side change, St. Joseph's stormed back with five straight points wth Alec Smalley smashing two of his team-high four kills in the set to slash the deficit to 9-8.
• Matthew Valentine's kill gave Pratt the first match point at 14-12, but Thomas Ambrosino and Delacruz rattled off consecutive kills and an ensuing error gave St. Joseph's their first lead of the set and a match point of their own. The Cannoneers countered back with two straight before Smalley's kill from the back row knotted things at 16-all. But Cutler's seventh kill of the frame earned the third match point for the Cannoneers and a Bears error ended the match..

For the Bears

• Thomas Kennedy powered a career-high 22 kills. The senior committed just one error through the first four sets and recorded a career-best .419 attack percentage. Kennedy dug out 20 shots on defense for his fourth double-double of the season.
• Clyde Delacruz matched his career mark with 15 kills, adding five digs, two blocks and one ace.
• Norrin Martinez also set a new career mark, the first Bear to dish out 50 assists while contributing three aces and 12 digs on defense.
• Alec Smalley notched a career-best 13-kill performance. The sophomore added 11 digs for his second consecutive double-double effort.
• Thomas Ambrosino led the Bears with 22 digs, also a career-best..

For the Cannoneers

• David Cutler led all players with a dominant 38-kill, 30-dig effort to go along with a .340 striking rate.
• Will Wong helped cement the defense with 20 digs.
• Brandon Ryan fed the winning offense with 45 assists.
• Matthew Valentine added eight kills.

Inside the Box Score

• St. Joseph's set new single-match records in kills (62) and assists (56). Individually,
• The Bears attack finished above .200 for the second straight game, pounding 62 kills against 25 errors in 168 attempts for a .220 hitting rate.
• Pratt was efficient as well, notching 56 kills and a .235 attack percentage.

The Bear Facts

• The Bears fall to 5-14 on the season and 1-2 in five-set matches.
• Pratt salvages the season split following a 3-0 loss on April 10. St. Joseph's falls to 2-3 all-time against their borough rivals.

Next Up for St. Joseph's

The Bears will return to Skyline Conference play on Saturday, April 2, travelling to Albany, N.Y. to meet Sage at 2 p.m. and Kean at 4 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at SJCears.com.