BRONX, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's University, N.Y. – Brooklyn men's volleyball team stepped away from Skyline Conference play, falling to Lehman College, 1-3 (17-25, 24-26, 25-20, 13-20), on Tuesday evening.

How it Happened

The Lightning jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the first set, a margin they would not relinquish. However, the Bears' quartet of Jeremias Martinez (Elmhurst, N.Y.), Frank Rivera (Astoria, N.Y.), Mark Belov (Brooklyn, N.Y.), and Matthew Kotsatos (Brooklyn, N.Y.) each contributed multiple kills each in the stanza, narrowing the gap to as little as three points at 20-17. Following a timeout, Lehman responded with a 5-0 run to seal the set.

In the second set, the same group of four accounted for all 13 of the Bears' kills, narrowly outscoring the hosts in the department. St. Joseph's led 17-10, but Lehman fought back to close the gap at 18-17. Despite a late SJBK push, who gained a 22-19 advantage with kills from Kotsatos and Rivera, the Lightning responded with a 7-2 run to win the set 26-24, taking a 2-0 match lead.

The third set saw several early ties and lead changes, with the Bears eventually taking an 8-7 lead and holding onto it throughout the set. Martinez led the way for SJBK with six kills, helping them secure a 25-20 victory and extend the match.

In the fourth set, a mix of attack errors and timely kills allowed Lehman to build a 7-2 lead, which ballooned to 20-9. Despite a late rally by the Bears, the Lightning finished strong, taking the set 25-13 to win the match 3-1.

For the Bears

• Less than 24 hours after his career-best 26 kills, Martinez notched 19 kills and came a dig shy of his first double-double.

• Rivera's 10 kills are a season-high.

• Belov and Kotsatos each had six kills and combined for five blocks and three digs.

• Gianfranco Guarraci (Elizabeth, N.J.) had a match-high 36 assists while chipping in five digs.

• Keiran McMullan (Farmingdale, N.Y.) registered a team-high 11 digs

• Matthew Cottone (Oakdale, N.Y.) logged seven digs.

• Levin Ma (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Richard Ortega (Roselle, N.J.) each had a match-leading two service aces.

Up Next

The Bears conclude their stretch of three straight matches in as many days at The Hill Center on Wednesday, March 5 at 7 pm; completing their season series against Purchase College.