BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's University, New York (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team fell to Purchase College in a four-set Skyline Conference match on Saturday afternoon, 1–3 (25–23, 16–25, 16–25, 23–25).
St. Joseph's opened the match with early momentum in the first set. After an initial Purchase surge, Trey DeMeo (Barnegat, N.J.) and Jeremias Martinez (Elmhurst, N.Y.) traded points throughout the set, and as the frame tightened, the Bears forced extended rallies. With the score knotted in the late teens, thanks to 15 ties throughout the stanza, St. Joseph's benefited from Purchase errors as Martinez and DeMeo capped off the set with kills to win 25-23.
In set two, the Panthers answered with improved consistency; separating themselves midway, using pressure from the service line to disrupt the Bears' early rhythm. While DeMeo and Martinez continued to find swings in transition, converts were limited and Purchase closed the frame 25–16. The following set followed a similar pattern with the visitors again establishing a lead through efficient attacking. They maintained control throughout and again took the set 25–16.
The fourth set remained competitive for longer, as both teams traded points early and fought through extended rallies. Late in the frame, the Bears kept the match within reach thanks to timely swings from DeMeo and steady offense from Mark Belov (Brooklyn, N.Y.), but the Panthers converted critical side-out opportunities down the stretch to close the set 25–23 and complete the four-set win.
DeMeo led St. Joseph's with 16 kills, followed by Martinez with 10. Ian McIntosh (Fliushing, N.Y.) contributed four kills, and Belov added five kills on .600 hitting. McMullan paced the Bears with two service aces, while Martinez and Belov added one each. At the net, Jack Buscaglia (Hackensack, N.J.) recorded four blocks, and Martinez and Belov each contributed three. Buscaglia led the attack with 28 assists, and Martinez also picked up 11 digs in support of the back row; McMullan added eight digs and Matthew Cottone (Oakdale, N.Y.) finished with five.
The Bears travel to sibling school St. Joseph's Long Island on Tuesday, March 3 at 7 pm.
