NEW YORK — The St. Joseph's University, New York (Brooklyn) women's volleyball team fell to Baruch College in straight sets, 25–17, 29–27, 25–20.
The Bears remained within striking distance throughout the opening set, taking a 7–6 lead on a Carissa Zwiefelhofer (North Bend, Wash.) kill and trailing by just two at 14–12. The Bearcats created separation from there, using a 7–3 stretch to build a 21–15 advantage before taking the set, 25–17.
SJBK responded with its strongest offensive set of the night in the second, hitting .353 and building a 16–13 lead behind consecutive Zwiefelhofer aces. After the Bears moved ahead 20–18, Baruch scored five straight, but the Bears answered and earned set-point opportunities at 25–24 and 27–26. The hosts erased both before scoring the final three points for a 29–27 win.
The sides were even at seven early in the third before Baruch began to pull away, eventually opening a 20–11 advantage. Facing match point at 24–16, the Bears rattled off four straight points, including back-to-back Zwiefelhofer aces, before the Bearcats closed out the match, 25–20.
Zwiefelhofer led the way with 13 kills on .407 hitting while adding seven aces, five assists and five digs. Keren Crespo (Meriden, Conn.) finished with six kills, three aces and nine digs, while Abigail Encinia (Sunnyvale, Texas) handed out 10 assists and served three aces. Amelia Jimenez (Middle Village, N.Y.) added three kills on five attempts with no errors and contributed a pair of blocks.
The Bears return to The Hill Center on Monday October 5, hosting Hunter College at 6 pm.
