Montclair, NJ| The St. Joseph's College (L.I.) women's volleyball team posted a 1-1 record in a non-conference tri-match hosted by Montclair St. on Saturday afternoon, defeating Gettysburg 3-1 and losing to the hosts 3-0 in the process. With the split, the Golden Eagles sit at 3-4 on the season, while Gettysburg and Montclair boast 5-5 and 5-3 records, respectively.
St. Joseph's cruised to victory in set one against Gettysburg, having claimed stake to the lead early and failing to relinquish it before inevitably winning 25-18. The second set was tighter, as the teams traded points through the first half of the match. Tied 12-12, the Golden Eagles took the lead after a Gettysburg attacking error, but the Bullets answered with a 7-0 run to grab a commanding lead. They'd go on to claim the set 25-18 and knot the match up at one in the process.
Gettysburg won the first seven points of the third frame, but the Golden Eagles claimed 12 of the next 14 and began to pull ahead. The Bullets rallied to tie the game at 20, but a kill by Claire Urizzo and an ace by Jenna Beekman allowed the Golden Eagles to again pull ahead. St. Joe's would hold on to win 25-22 in the third, before squeezing out a narrow 26-24 victory in the fourth to take the match 3-1.
Senior Heather Ferchland again set the tone, firing at a .455 attacking rate and collecting 16 kills. Juniors AnneMarie Taggart and Kiersten Kissinger both contributed nine kills of their own, while setter Courtney Wickline had a game-high 35 assists. Urizzo's 16 digs were a season- and game-high for the sophomore.
Match two would not be as kind to the Golden Eagles, as they failed to maintain leads against Montclair St. In the first set, St. Joseph's built a 16-12 lead, but the Red Hawks answered with six-straight points. The Golden Eagles clawed back and regained the lead, giving themselves a chance to take the set with a 23-22 lead, but Montclair grabbed the last three points and the first set with them.
Again in set two the Golden Eagles squandered a lead, as late as 11-10. Montclair would rally to win 25-16 and then 25-14 after St. Joseph's surrendered 4-2 start to the third.
Ferchland and Kissinger were both credited with nine kills in the second match, while Wickline notched 24 assists. Beekman's 13 digs were a game-high.
The Golden Eagles continue their non-conference campaign next Friday, September 18 when they begin the two-day Ramapo Tournament. Ithaca and Scranton are on deck for Friday at 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM, and Potsdam and New Paltz challenge the Golden Eagles at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM on Saturday. Follow live stats here on sjcgoldeneagles.com.
