Volleyball Sweeps GNAC Tri-Match Against Mitchell and CSC

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) volleyball team swept a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tri-match Saturday afternoon inside James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn. The Blue Jays started the day by defeating Mitchell College (Mitchell), 3-2, before taking down Colby-Sawyer College (CSC), 3-1, to round out the day. With the results, the Blue Jays move to 5-16 on the season and 4-6 in GNAC play while the Mariners move to 6-13 overall and 4-8 in conference play, and the Chargers move to 5-16 overall and 3-5 in GNAC action.

USJ 3, MITCHELL 2 (13-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-22, 15-13)

• The match started as a back-and-forth affair with the two teams playing out a 5-5 tie.
• Mitchell would then gain the lead after a 3-0, stretch, taking a 8-5 edge.
• USJ would pull back within two, 10-8, after a freshman middle blocker Vivian Pawloski (Wallingford, Conn.) kill, but the Mariners would not let the Blue Jays get any closer, taking the opening set, 25-13.
• Mitchell would again grab an early lead to start the second set, holding an 8-5 edge.
• USJ would fight back, utilizing a 4-0 stretch, featuring kills from senior middle blocker Victoria Isokpehi (Lagos, Nigeria) and graduate student setter Nicole Albert (Meriden, Conn.) to grab a 9-8 lead.
• The Mariners would regain the lead, 11-9, but a timely 4-0 stretch, featuring two service aces from sophomore setter Alexandra Long (East Hartford, Conn.), enabled USJ to reclaim the lead, 13-11.
• Mitchell would fight back, forcing a 17-17 tie, but three costly errors fueled a 4-0 USJ stretch, allowing the Blue Jays to gain a 21-17 edge. USJ would continue to keep their foot on the gas, closing the set on a 4-0 stretch, as Isokpehi picked up the final point, winning the set, 25-18, and tying the match at 1-1.
• Set three began as another close battle, with both teams playing out a 5-5 tie.
• Mitchell would quickly gain a 7-5 edge, but USJ utilized a 3-0 run, featuring kills from Pawloski and senior outside hitter Shannon Carey (Bayport, N.Y.) to grab a 8-7 edge.
• However, the Mariners would regain the momentum, establishing a 17-13 lead and forcing USJ to call a timeout.
• Mitchell would continue to keep the Blue Jays at bay, winning the set, 25-21, to take a 2-1 edge in the match.
• USJ would grab the lead in the fourth set, racing out to a 7-2 edge after kills from freshman outside hitter Shaye Harris (Prospect, Conn.), senior middle blocker Victoria Adler (Berlin, Conn.) and Carey.
• Mitchell would not go down easy though, fighting back within one, 15-14.
• The two teams would go on to trade points back and forth, until a Adler kill established a 22-19 USJ lead, forcing Mitchell to call a timeout.
• The Blue Jays would hold on to win the set, 25-22, and force an all-deciding fifth set.
• USJ gained the advantage in the fifth set, rushing out to a 7-2 lead.
• Mitchell would close the gap to one, 9-8, but the Blue Jays held on to win the set, 15-13, and the match, 3-2.

USJ 3, CSC 1 (18-25, 26-24, 26-24, 25-16)

• CSC gained an early lead in the opening set, taking a 5-2 edge.
• USJ would fight back, utilizing a 3-0 stretch, featuring two kills from Carey, to tie the set at 7-7.
• The Blue Jays continued to keep their foot on the gas, breaking open a four-point lead, 18-14, off kills from Adler, senior outside hitter Claire Quinn (Canton, Mass.) and Pawloski.
• However, the Chargers would close the set on an 11-0 run, winning the opening set, 25-18.
• The two teams went back and forth to begin set two, playing out a 9-9 tie.
• CSC would start to take the lead, opening up a 15-12 edge. However, two points from Adler enabled the Blue Jays to take a 16-15 lead.
• The Chargers again looked to pull away, establishing a 21-17 edge, but a timely 5-0 run, capped off by an ace from Carey, saw USJ take a 22-21 edge.
• The two teams would trade points late, but two costly CSC errors let USJ take the second set, 26-24, tying the match at 1-1.
• CSC exploded offensively in set three, rushing out to a 9-0 edge.
• USJ fought back though, utilizing stellar serving from senior defensive specialist Katina Nanos (Lebanon, Conn.), to tie the set at 9-9.
• CSC responded with a 8-1 stretch to retake a 17-10 edge, but USJ would claw their way back, cutting the gap to two, 20-18, after a pair of aces from senior libero Fernanda Ayala Rodriguez (San Juan, Puerto Rico).
• The Chargers would get to set point, 24-18, but USJ three aces from Long fueled an 8-0 run to close the set, allowing the Blue Jays to complete the comeback, 26-24, and take a 2-1 edge in the match.
• The fourth set also was close at the start, as both teams were deadlocked at 8-8.
• USJ ultimately proved to be too much as the Blue Jays ended the set on a 9-2 run as the Blue Jays won the set, 25-16, and the match, 3-1.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays head on the road for a matchup against conference and intrastate rivals Albertus Magnus College on Wednesday, October 18. First serve against the Falcons inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center in New Haven, Conn., is set for 7:00 p.m.

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