Bronx, NY| The St. Joseph's College (L.I.) women's volleyball team won both games of its Skyline Conference opening tri-match on Sunday afternoon, sweeping both Yeshiva University (1-5, 0-2 Skyline) and SUNY Maritime (4-6, 1-1 Skyline) in the Bronx. With the wins, the Golden Eagles improve to 6-7 on the season and begin their conference campaign with a perfect 2-0 record.
In the first match against Yeshiva, St. Joseph's surrendered just 21 points through three sets. The Golden Eagles held 9-2 and 20-6 leads before claiming the first set 25-7. In set two, Yeshiva knotted up the score at three in the early going, but St. Joseph's rallied for the next 12 points before cruising to a 25-8 win. Set three was more of the same, as the Golden Eagles scored the final 15 points of the set to earn 25-6 and 3-0 victories.
St. Joseph's held Yeshiva to only two kills in the match, while senior Heather Ferchland recorded a game-high 13 and junior Courtney Bocchieri a season-best 12. Sophomore Jessica Monteserrato had a game- and season-high 15 assists.
The Golden Eagles would lead early in the second match with Maritime by the score of 5-4, but the Privateers grabbed the next five points to build a 9-5 lead. St. Joe's responded with six of the next eight to tie the game at 11, and then did well to fend off Maritime to win the set 25-18.
After jumping out to a 10-4 lead in set two, the Golden Eagles allowed the hosts the next five points to draw the set back to one point (10-9). But the guests responded strongly, scoring the next five en route to a 25-17 win. St. Joe's carried its momentum into the third set, winning the first eight points before building a 20-5 lead. Maritime pushed back, but the lead was far too great, and the Golden Eagles inevitably won the set 25-12 and the match 3-0.
Ferchland's 13 kills were again a game-high, and junior Kiersten Kissinger's 11 were second best. Junior Courtney Wickline's 32 assists were also a game-best, as were freshman Jenna Beekman's 10 digs.
The Golden Eagles return to action on Saturday, September 26 for a home-opening, non-conference tri-match against Lehman College and Manhattanville College. St. Joe's will face Lehman at 12:00 PM and Manhattanville at 4:00 PM inside the Danzi Center. Live stats will be available here.
