PATCHOGUE, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's University, New York (Brooklyn) women's volleyball team closed the regular season with a 3–1 victory over St. Joseph's University, New York (Long Island) on Wednesday evening at the Danzi Center (25–22, 18–25, 25–22, 25–20).
The opening set remained close throughout, with neither side leading by more than a few points. The Bears maintained a steady rhythm late to take the set, 25–22. Reigning Skyline Rookie of the Week Carissa Zwiefelhofer (North Bend, Wash.), along with classmates Abigail Encinia (Sunnyvale, Texas) and Keren Crespo (Meriden, Conn.), combined for 10 of the team's 14 kills.
The Golden Eagles responded in the second with an extended stretch midway through the set that created separation. The Bears were unable to close the gap, and the hosts evened the match at one, 25–18.
The third set saw Brooklyn take a 13-9 lead before Long Island used a 10-2 run to hold a narrow 19-15 edge. However, the Bears secured 10 of the next 12 points, spearheaded by kills from Encinia, to claim another 25-22 set.
In the fourth, the Bears established a small cushion of 15-11 in the middle portion of the set and managed it through to the finish. Four Zwiefelhofer kills and a pair of aces each from Mariana Medrano (El Paso, Texas) and Taylor Knight (San Ramon, Calif.) sealed the match, 25–20.
Zwiefelhofer led SJBK with 15 kills, 17 assists, 11 digs, and four blocks, recording her sixth triple-double of the season. Encinia added 13 kills and 11 assists, hitting .333, while Medrano anchored the back row with 21 digs. Knight contributed five kills, three aces, and 17 digs, and Jillian McGinty (Glendale, N.Y.) and Madeleine Niño (San Antonio, Texas) each had three blocks of their own.
With the victory, the Bears conclude the regular season at 12-11 overall, securing back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2011–13, and the first such stretch since joining the Skyline Conference. Despite a seventh-place league finish, their 6-4 record in league play marks the squad's first winning conference record since 2018. The win also stands as Brooklyn's first over Long Island since 2008.
