Patchogue, NY| The St. Joseph's College (L.I.) women's volleyball team was defeated by Allegheny College 3-0 on Friday night in the first day of the St. Joseph's College Tournament held inside the Danzi Center. With the loss, the Golden Eagles fall to 9-10 (3-1 Skyline) on the season, while the Gators improve to 12-7 (1-3 NCAC).

The first set started with a furious pace, as both sides traded points before Allegheny established itself and strung together a crucial run. With the score tied 10-10, SJC senior Tiffany Willms recorded a kill to give her side the brief edge, but the Gators responded with the next six points to take a 16-11 lead. The Golden Eagles would end the run, but failed to outpace Allegheny over the duration of the set, affording the Gators the opportunity to claim the 25-18 win.

St. Joseph's posted the first two points of the second half, but a 19-3 Allegheny run buried the Golden Eagles. Down 21-7, SJC rallied for four-straight points, highlighted by a couple of kills from Claire Urizzo, but a 4-0 run by the Gators clinched the 25-11 set victory.

The third frame played out similarly to the second, as Allegheny again smothered the Golden Eagles with a substantial run. Up 9-5, the Gators would rally for nine of the next 10 points before cruising to the 25-10 set, and 3-0 match wins.

Senior Heather Ferchland led the Golden Eagles with seven kills, while Courtney Wickline's 18 assists were a team-best. The junior also shared the team lead in digs (15) with freshman Jenna Beekman.

Allegheny's Taylor Samuel had a game-high 10 kills, and Terra Schall led all players with 17 digs.

In the opening match of the tournament, Misericordia University earned a 3-1 victory over New Jersey City University.

Allegheny and Misericordia open play tomorrow at 10:00 AM, with the Gators also featuring in the 12:00 PM match against NJCU. The Golden Eagles and Misericordia play at 2:00 PM before St. Joseph's and NJCU complete the weekend's action at 4:00 PM.