BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's University, N.Y. – Brooklyn women's volleyball team split the second annual Battle of Brooklyn Tri-match on Saturday afternoon at The Hill Center.
The Bears came out on top of a five-set thriller against Pratt Institute (25-14, 25-20, 20-25, 21-25, 15-7) before dropping their second match of the day to Brooklyn College in straight sets (17-25, 22-25, 6-25).
How it Happened vs. Pratt
The Bears overcame the Cannoneers' early 3-0 lead with an 8-1 run. Taylor Knight (San Ramon, Calif./Dougherty Valley) and Martina Urgo (Astoria, N.Y./St. John's Prep) led the SJBK offense, combining for nine kills to secure the opening set 25-14.
In the second set, both teams traded kills, but the Bears pulled ahead late, aided by Jenna Diaz's (Middle Village, N.Y./Townsend Harris) contributions, winning the frame 25-20.
The third and fourth sets were tightly contested, featuring 15 ties and seven lead changes. Pratt capitalized on SJBK errors, winning the third set 25-20 and the fourth 25-21.
Trailing 3-1 in the decisive set, the Bears responded with a 12-1 surge, highlighted by five service aces from Diaz, to take the set 15-7 and secure a 3-2 match victory.
How it Happened vs. Brooklyn College
A pair of kills and aces saw the Bears lead 7-4 to begin the match. A six-point swing gave the Bulldogs a 10-7 lead; holding on to the advantage to win the set 25-17.
Urgo and Knight combined for 10 kills at the 21-15 mark. However, the Bulldogs rallied with a 10-1 run to take the set 25-22. The Bears struggled in the third set, falling into a 9-1 deficit before losing 25-6.
For the Bears vs. Pratt
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Rachel Meltsin (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison) dished out a career-best 46 assists; setting a single-match record for five-set contests and one shy of equalling the program's overall record dating back to the 2007 season.
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Meltsin added 10 digs, three kills, and a block to her stat line.
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Diaz's nine aces are also a program record in five-setters, surpassing Nina CiCioccio's eight against Lehman College in 2016. She finished the match with 13 digs and five kills.
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Knight posted 25 kills, a season-best, and 14 digs.
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Urgo's 21 kills are a career-high in the category, adding 10 digs, and four aces.
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Juliette DiVittorio (Astoria, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) had 16 kills and four assists.
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Anna Makarouna (Brooklyn, N.Y./Edward R. Murrow) served up three aces.
For the Bears vs. Brooklyn College
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Knight had 11 kills and 14 digs, both team-highs and enough for her sixth double-double of the campaign.
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Diaz finished with 12 digs to go with four kills while DiVittorio had 11 digs and three aces.
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Urgo logged seven kills, six digs, and a pair of aces.
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Meltsin totaled 20 assists, three digs, and a pair of aces.
Up Next
The tri-match served as the start to the Bears' five-match homestand. They return to The Hill Center floor on Thursday, September 26 against the City College of New York at 7 pm.