PATCHOGUE, N.Y. — The No. 4 St. Joseph's University, New York (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team saw its season come to an end on Wednesday night, falling in straight sets (17-25, 21-25, 18-25) to top-seeded St. Joseph's (Long Island) in the Skyline Conference Championship Semifinal.
The opening set was defined by early offensive struggles for the Bears, who committed nine attack errors and hit .000. The Golden Eagles took an early 6-2 lead following a series of Brooklyn errors. Jeremias Martinez (Elmhurst, N.Y.) and Etvola Sango (Kinshasa, DR Congo) provided sparks with kills to keep the set within reach at 10-6, but a 5-0 run by the hosts pushed their lead to 15-9. While Trey DeMeo (Barnegat, N.Y.) and James McNeice (Brooklyn, N.Y.) combined for a block to narrow the gap late, SJLI's 15 kills in the frame proved too much to overcome.
Brooklyn found its rhythm in the second set, leading to three lead changes and three ties. The Bears utilized a disciplined defensive front, recording four of their five total blocks in this set alone. After trailing 8-4, Brooklyn rallied with a service ace from DeMeo and a block by Sango and Jack Buscaglia (Hackensack, N.J.) to pull within one at 9-8. The teams traded points until late in the set, with the Bears briefly leading late at 19-18, but Long Island's Shaun Mischler and Chris Saricola delivered key kills to stifle SJBK's momentum and secure a 2-0 match lead.
The Bears opened the final frame with high energy, taking an early 2-0 lead behind a Buscaglia ace. The set remained highly competitive with five ties and three lead changes. A kill by DeMeo leveled the score at 12-12, but the Golden Eagles responded with a decisive 6-1 run to take an 18-15 advantage. The SJLI offense, which hit a match-high .302 in the third set, ultimately sealed the victory and the right to host Saturday's Championship Final against Manhattanville University.
Martinez, who was named the Skyline Co-Player of the Year along with SJLI's AJ Esposito, shouldered the offensive load with a match-high 14 kills and 14 digs to record a double-double. Sango tallied seven kills and contributed to the defensive wall with two blocks, while DeMeo also had seven kills and 14 digs. Buscaglia orchestrated the floor with 29 assists. Defensively, libero Matthew Cottone (Oakdale, N.Y.) anchored the back row with a match-high 23 digs.
The season-ending loss concludes a historic campaign for St. Joseph's (Brooklyn). Individually, Martinez totaled 307 kills and 4.15 kills per set, while Buscaglia registered 646 assists and 8.73 assists per set; both of which set new single-season records in their respective categories.
As a team, the squad finished the year 11-10 overall with an 8-6 mark in conference play, setting new program records for the most wins in a single season and the most victories in Skyline play. This successful run also marks a milestone for head coach Desmond Hamilton and assistant Arthur Yung, who secured the most wins by a first-year head coach in the program's history.
