Volleyball Defeats GNAC Rival Albertus Magnus, 3-0, on the Road Wednesday Night

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) volleyball team dominated on the road, taking down intrastate and Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) rival Albertus Magnus College (AMC), 3-0, inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center in New Haven, Conn., Wednesday night. With the result, the Blue Jays move to 6-16 on the season and 5-6 in GNAC play, while the Falcons drop to 6-15 overall and 1-7 in conference play.

KEY MOMENTS 

• USJ started the game on fire, jumping out to a quick 5-0 edge after a kill from senior middle blocker Victoria Adler (Berlin, Conn.) and a pair of service aces from sophomore setter Alexandra Long (East Hartford, Conn.)
• AMC would not go away though, pulling back within one, 10-9.
• The Blue Jays responded with a 7-2 stretch though fueled by two kills from Adler and a point by junior outside hitter Rachel Heaney (Torrington, Conn.) to establish a six-point lead, 18-12.
• The Falcons would keep within five, 20-15, but the Blue Jays ended the opening set on a 5-1 run, as Adler secured the final point to give USJ the set, 25-16.
• The two sides battled to begin the second set, playing out a 10-10 tie.
• The Blue Jays would find some momentum, taking a 15-10 lead after a 5-0 stretch, featuring points from Adler, Heaney and Long, forcing an AMC timeout.
• USJ continued to pile on the pressure, opening up an eight-point gap, 20-12, after a kill from senior outside hitter Shannon Carey (Bayport, N.Y.).
• AMC would attempt to comeback, closing the gap to five, 21-16, but a 4-0 USJ stretch, capped off by three-straight Albertus errors, secured the set for USJ, 25-16, and a 2-0 lead in the match.
• The Falcons would open the third set with a 6-3 lead, but the Blue Jays would fight back, as the two teams played out a 10-10 score line.
• The set would remain close as the Blue Jays began to pull away, opening up a 19-17 edge after a kill from senior middle blocker Victoria Isokpehi (Lagos, Nigeria).
• The two teams would continue to battle back-and-forth trying to secure set point, but a kill from Adler followed by a block from Adler and freshman middle blocker Vivian Pawloski (Wallingford, Conn.) secured the set, 29-27, and the match, 3-0.

NOTES 

• Carey recorded a double-double, pacing the offense with 16 kills while tallying 11 digs.
• Adler joined Carey in double figures, racking up 12 kills.
• Senior libero Fernanda Ayala Rodriguez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) notched a team-high 16 digs.
• The Blue Jays outhit the Falcons, .319 percent to .162 percent.
• Long was a menace at the service line, recording six service aces.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays take a 10-day hiatus before returning to the court on Saturday, October 28 for a GNAC tri-match against Saint Joseph's College of Maine and MCLA inside the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford. First serve against the Monks is set for 11:00 a.m. The tri-match will also serve as senior day for the Blue Jays, who will honor the class of 2023 prior to the match against the Monks.

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