BROOKLYN, N.Y. — After narrowly defeating Pratt Institute in the opening set, the St. Joseph's University, N.Y. – Brooklyn fell 1-3 (25-23, 14-25, 23-25, 18-25) on Thursday evening.
How it Happened
The opening set was tightly contested, featuring 15 ties and seven lead changes. The Bears gained the advantage for the final time at 20-19. Jeremias Martinez (East Elmhurst, N.Y.) and Frank Rivera (Astoria, N.Y.) each contributed kills in the waning moments of the frame, helping the Bears secure a 25-23 set win.
In the second set, early attack errors put St. Joseph's at a disadvantage, falling into an 8-3 hole. By 14-5, the Bears forced a Cannoneer timeout after a Levin Ma (Staten Island, N.Y.) ace and a pair of Pratt errors. Following the timeout, however, the hosts mounted a 7-1 run, ultimately winning the set 25-14.
Martinez fueled the attack in the third set behind five kills as the Bears started the stanza strong, leading 9-4. Trailing 16-11 and exhausting both timeouts, the Cannoneers used a 9-3 stretch to lead 20-18. The Bears came back to tie twice but to no avail, reversing their first-set score.
Apart from a handful of ties to begin the fourth set, Pratt controlled the frame; totaling 16 kills compared to SJBK's four while hitting at a .303 clip. The Cannoneers took the set 25-18 and the match 3-1.
For the Bears
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Martinez logged 12 kills while bringing up three digs.
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Fellow rookie Mark Belov (Brooklyn, N.Y.) finished with seven kills and a match-best three blocks.
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Rivera had a match-high 11 digs to go with five kills.
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Keiran McMullan (Farmingdale, N.Y.) followed with 10 digs.
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Gianfranco Guarraci (Elizabeth, N.J.) was responsible for 25 of the Bears' 27 assists.
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Matthew Cottone (Oakdale, N.Y.) registered a trio of aces while Ma finished with two.
Up Next
The turnaround for the Bears is short as they open Skyline Conference play at Purchase College on Friday, February 28 at 8 pm.
