BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's University, N.Y. (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team bounced back from its tri-match losses over the weekend with a 3-0 (25-7, 25-7, 25-5) defeat of Medgar Evers College on Thursday evening at The Hill Center.
The Bears opened with a 7-1 lead behind kills from Jeremias Martinez (Elmhurst, N.Y.) and Trey DeMeo (Barnegat, N.J.) before the Cougars narrowed the gap to 10-6. The Bears then used a 15-1 spurt to claim the set, 25-7, setting the tone for the rest of the match.
The Bears took the second set by the same score, 25-7, behind four service aces from Keiran McMullan (Farmingdale, N.Y.). The senior also dished out seven assists in the frame, with first-years Thomas Pinto (Long Beach, N.Y.) and James McNiece (Brooklyn, N.Y.) leading the SJBK attack with a combined six kills.
Medgar Evers began the third with an ace and kill, leading 2-1. However, the Bears responded immediately with a string of aces from Ian McIntosh (Flushing, N.Y.). McNiece, Pinto, and Richard Ortega (Roselle, N.J.) also chipped in with a pair of aces each, while Xavier Belfon (Brooklyn, N.Y.) logged three kills as the Bears saw out the straight-set triumph.
The Bears recorded 26 service aces and posted a .479 hitting percentage, setting new single-match program records in the process. Their 26 aces surpassed the previous single-match mark set against the Cougars in 2014, while their .479 hitting percentage eclipsed the former record of .360, also established in 2014.
Individually, Belfon and Pinto led the attack with six kills apiece, while McNiece and Martinez added three each.
Jack Buscaglia (Hackensack, N.J.) paced the Bears' record-setting performance with five service aces. Pinto, McIntosh, and McMullan followed with four each, Belfon and McNiece contributed three apiece, Ortega added two, and DeMeo chipped in one.
McMullan also totaled 17 assists and two digs, while McIntosh led the team defensively with six digs.
The Bears return to The Hill Center on Sunday, February 15 at 12 p.m. to face Regis College in their non-conference finale.
