Women's Volleyball Downs NJCU for First Win of Season

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Led by a match-high 13 kills from sophomore Cristina Morales (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep), the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's volleyball team defeated New Jersey City University, 3-1 (25-21, 13-25, 25-18, 25-19) in a non-conference match at The Hill Center on Tuesday evening. 

The win elevates the Bears to a 1-2 record, while the Gothic Knights move to 3-2. The victory marks the first time in program history that the Bears defeated NJCU, having faced the Gothic Knights six times prior to tonight.

How it Happened

The Bears never trailed in the opening set. With both teams tied at 2-all, the navy and gray fired off five straight points, highlighted by three kills from Morales, to take a 7-2 lead. SJC later put together a 7-2 run to extend their lead to 15-7. With the visitors trying to stage a late comeback, the Bears held on for a 25-21 opening set victory. 

NJCU stormed back in the second stanza, racing out to a 5-0 lead and later used an 11-0 run to pull away for a 25-13 victory to tie the match at 1-1. 

The Bears rebounded from a sluggish second-set performance by scoring the first five points of the third set, highlighted by two kills courtesy of Briana Marrazzo (East Elmhurst, N.Y./St. John's Prep). The Bears led by as many as seven at 11-4 before the Gothic Knights leveled the set at 16-16. A Rosa Rosas (Brooklyn, N.Y./Edward R. Murrow) kill sparked an 8-0 run that brought set point as SJC closed out the third frame, 25-18. 

An early back-and-forth in the fourth saw NJCU creep ahead 5-4 before the Bears rattled off nine unanswered with Morales slamming four kills in the spurt to build a 13-5 lead and maintained at least a five-point lead the rest of the way. St. Joseph's hit a match-best .263 in the final set, slamming 11 kills against just one error, with Morales finishing with seven kills in the frame.

For the Bears

• Morales put away a match-high 13 kills and fell one dig shy of a double-double 
• Senior Valentina Urgo (Astoria, N.Y./St. John's Prep) reached 20+ digs for the third time in her career, and the first time in a four-set match. She also added four kills and four aces.
• Marrazzo chipped in seven kills, three aces, a block, and 17 digs.
• Freshman Kaitlyn Intindola (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) recorded her first collegiate double-double with 19 digs and 18 assists.
• In total, five Bears reached with double-digit digs with rookie Carol Melo (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) finishing with 16 digs.

Up Next

The Bears open up Skyline Conference play on Thursday, September 12 at The Hill Center, when they take on Yeshiva University. Match time is scheduled for 8 p.m. with live stats and video available on SJCBears.com/live.