Lady Bears Fall to Lehman in Rematch

BRONX, NY – The Lady Bears were familiar with the Lehman Lightning. Just three days prior to their meeting in the Bronx, the two teams squared off as part of a tri-match with Old Westbury. That familiarity did not translate into an advantage as the Lightning disposed of the Lady Bears in straight sets for the second time in four days, 25-12, 25-16, 25-21. The loss puts St. Joseph's back under .500 for the season with a 5-6 record while Lehman improves to 7-6.

St. Joseph's got off to a sluggish start, registering only one kill in the first set as the Lightning took the 1-0 lead with a 25-12 win. The Lady Bears were down early once again in set number two and tried to mount a comeback, but it was too little, too late and Lehman took a commanding 2-0 lead.

An entertaining third set saw ten ties and five lead changes with the score knotted up as late as 18-18. Lehman grabbed control of the set scoring four of the next five points for a 22-19 advantage. The Lady Bears countered with two straight kills to get to within one, but that's as close as they came as the Lightning refused to relinquish the lead, going on to win 25-21.

St. Joseph's freshman Nicole Rios (Astoria, NY/Mary Louis) led the game with a career-high 14 digs. Senior Kim Matthews (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) had five of her game-high eight kills in the third and final set. Matthews also finished with 12 digs.

Lehman's balanced offensive attack saw seven girls with at least two kills, led by Shari Quiles with six. Quiles also finished with a team-high 10 digs.

The Lady Bears are off until October 11th when they travel to Pratt for their first Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference match of the season. Match-time is set for 7:30 pm.