MADISON, N.J. — The St. Joseph's University, New York (Brooklyn) women's volleyball team battled throughout all three sets but fell to FDU-Florham, 25-18, 25-18, 25-22.
The Bears faced an early deficit in the opening set but battled back late behind a strong run from Michelle Piotrowski (Ridgewood, N.Y.), who delivered a service ace and helped spark a 7-1 stretch that brought St. Joseph's within five at 20-15. FDU ultimately held on to take the opener, 25-18.
The Bears came out strong in the second set, taking an early 3-1 lead. The Devils responded with a 9-2 run and maintained control despite the Bears' efforts to close the gap. Abigail Encinia (Sunnyvale, Texas) and Madeleine Niño (San Antonio, Texas) provided key kills, but the hosts again prevailed, 25-18.
SJBK saved their strongest push for the third set, trading points with FDU in a back-and-forth battle. The Bears took an 8-7 lead and later rallied from a 16-12 deficit to pull within one at 17-16. Niño played a key role during the comeback, recording consecutive kills to bring the Bears back into contention. St. Joseph's remained within striking distance late, but FDU closed out the set, 25-22, to complete the sweep.
Carissa Zwiefelhofer (North Bend, Wash.) led the Bears with eight kills, nine assists, 11 digs and a team-high 8.0 points. Keren Crespo (Meriden, Conn.) added a team-best six kills and nine digs, while Piotrowski contributed five kills, seven assists and two service aces. Niño was efficient offensively, recording four kills on nine attempts (.444) along with a block, while Encinia paced the offense with 16 assists and added four kills.
The Bears return to the confines of The Hill Center on Monday, September 14 at 7 pm when they take on neighbors Pratt Institute.
