Women’s Volleyball Splits on Final Day of SJC Tournament

Written by Andrew Capitelli (SJC-LI Sports Information)

Patchogue, NY| The St. Joseph's College (L.I.) women's volleyball team took a 3-1 loss against SUNY Cortland before easing past SUNY Old Westbury, 3-0, on the final day of the 2016 St. Joseph's College Tournament played inside the Danzi Center on Saturday afternoon.

With the split, the Golden Eagles move to 2-6 on the year while Cortland and Old Westbury sit at 7-5 and 0-9.

Cortland 3, SJC 1

SJC took advantage of a Cortland side that came off a tough 3-2 defeat to Montclair St. in Saturday's opening match and essentially went point-for-point with the Red Dragons in the opening set. The Golden Eagles took their first lead of the frame at 19-18 and did well to fend off a resilient Cortland side before senior Kiersten Kissinger won the set, 25-23, for the hosts.

Down 7-6 in the second set, the Red Dragons used a crippling 13-0 run to pull ahead 20-7 and catapult them to a 25-11 win. Cortland would maintain a safe distance in the third set before claiming it by a 25-15 scoreline.

In the fourth, the Golden Eagles went ahead 8-7 thanks to a kill from senior Courtney Wickline, but the Red Dragons eventually opened up a 23-13 lead. A 7-1 run by SJC fended off Cortland victory for a time, but in the end it was the guests claiming a 25-20 fourth-set win and a 3-1 match victory.

Kissinger's eight kills were a team high and second to only Cortland's Nicole Silberer's nine. Junior Claire Urizzo contributed five kills of her own, and sophomore Danielle Senecal was credited with a game-high 18 digs.

SJC 3, Old Westbury 0

Taking control early on, the Golden Eagles built an 18-11 lead in the first set, but a 5-0 run by the Panthers brought the frame back to within three points (18-15) shortly after. Thwarting off the danger, SJC compiled a 7-1 run of their own to ease on to a 25-16 win.

The next two sets were total domination by the Golden Eagles, who won both by a scoreline of 25-7. The second set was highlighted by a 18-3 run to open the frame, and the third set began with SJC claiming all of the first 10 points.

SJC's attack, which generated 31 kills to Old Westbury's seven, was led by Urizzo, who went for a game-high eight kills. Freshman Jessica Nicholson collected a season-high six kills, and junior Jessica Monteserrato dished out a game-best 13 assists.

The Golden Eagles return to the Danzi Center gym on Tuesday, October 20 when they host New York University for a 7:00 PM match. Follow along with live stats here.