BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's University, New York (Brooklyn) women's volleyball team rallied from a two-set deficit before falling to the University of Mount Saint Vincent, 3–2, on Saturday afternoon at The Hill Center. The Bears dropped the opening two sets, 25–16 and 25–23, before responding with 25–17 and 25–10 victories, ultimately falling 15–12 in the deciding fifth set.
The Bears opened the match with a 4–1 advantage, but the Dolphins responded and eventually broke a 7–7 tie with 10 unanswered points to build a commanding lead. The Bears trimmed the deficit to 20–14, but Mount Saint Vincent held on to take the opening set, 25–16.
The second set featured several momentum swings, with St. Joseph's overcoming an early 6–2 deficit to take a 14–12 lead behind Madeleine Niño's (San Antonio, Texas) serving. The Dolphins regained the advantage, but consecutive Karson Brooks (Portland, Ore.) aces later put the Bears ahead 20–19. The teams continued exchanging points until Mount Saint Vincent broke a 23–23 tie with the final two points to secure a 25–23 victory.
Facing a two-set deficit, the Bears responded in the third, building an early 9–5 advantage before UMSV rallied to tie the score at 12. SJBK answered with six consecutive points behind Abigail Medina's (Middle Village, N.Y.) serving, including two aces, to regain control at 18–12. The Bears maintained their advantage and closed out the set, 25–17, to extend the match.
St. Joseph's carried that momentum into the fourth, racing to a 6–2 lead before a nine-point service run from Niño, highlighted by four aces, extended the advantage to 15–2. The Bears continued to pull away, eventually securing a 25–10 victory to force a decisive fifth set.
The Dolphins scored the first five points of the final frame, but the Bears answered with five straight of its own, including three kills from Carissa Zwiefelhofer (North Bend, Wash.), to level the score. The Bears later tied the set at eight on a Brooks ace before the Dolphins opened an 11–8 advantage. A Niño kill brought SJBK within 13–12, but the visitors claimed the final two points to secure the 15–12 victory.
Zwiefelhofer led SJBK with a triple-double, recording 22 kills on a .409 hitting percentage, 17 assists and 12 digs. Keren Crespo (Meriden, Conn.) contributed seven kills, eight digs and two service aces, while Brooks added six kills, four aces and a team-high 15 digs.
Niño finished with five kills and five service aces, while Darya Goryachev (Brooklyn, N.Y.) recorded five kills without an error on 10 attempts for a .500 hitting percentage. Michelle Piotrowski (Ridgewood, N.Y.)Â added four kills on five attempts, and Medina distributed a team-high 23 assists alongside three aces.
The Bears conclude the regular season on Tuesday, November 3, traveling to Farmingdale State College at 7 p.m.
