Eagles Struck Down by Bombers, Roadrunners at Ramapo Tri-Match

Mahwah, N.J. — The St. Joseph's Golden Eagles (5-3) couldn't seem to snag any wins at the Ramapo tournament last weekend, but they were able to hold their own against their elite competition of the Ithaca Bombers (7-3) and Ramapo Roadrunners (9-3), losing all of their sets by small margins.

The Eagles got off to a strong start against Ithaca, coming back from a fairly large deficit to nearly win the set, giving the Bombers reason to shake in their sneakers. Ithaca pulled through however and took the first set, 26-24. This push by SJC carried over into the next set in which they were able jump ahead to a 8-6 start, however, the lead wasn't enough of a buffer to fend off the Bombers once they caught their breath. Ithaca went up two games to zero having won the second set 25-15. The Eagles dug deep in the third and final set, going up 4-0 with their first possession and even handling the Bomber's countering blows, taking the lead again at 19-15. That was as much as the Eagles could do though, and Ithaca went on a ten-point run to win both the set and the match.

Julianne Tierney (Bethpage, N.Y./ Bethpage) had 19 assists and 11 digs, Tiffany Willms (Centereach, N.Y./ Centereach) slammed down seven kills in addition to her seven digs while Courtney Wickline (Medford, N.Y./ Bellport  ) logged 21 digs by the end of the match.

The Eagles performed similarly against the Roadrunners later that day, losing the match 3-0 but still putting up a valiant fight. SJC fell behind early on in the set, putting them at a disadvantage they couldn't overcome, losing the set 25-15. The second set went much of the same way, coming back from an early deficit but not soon enough to take the victory, which ultimately went to the Roadrunners, 25-20. The Eagles made sure to leave it all on the court for the third and final set, staying within a reasonable range of the home team and losing by only two points in the end.

Tierney had 22 assists and 17 digs in the set, Willms had seven kills and ten digs and Wickline once again held up the back line with 16 digs.