Boasting a first-year head coach and a roster of just one over the minimum, the College of Staten Island women’s volleyball team performed the honors of posting the school’s first athletic win of the 2014-15 sports year, scoring a 3-0 win over Yeshiva University in a non-conference match played at Baruch College. CSI, under first year Head Coach Juan Lopez, improved to 1-0, while the Maccabees fell to 0-2 to start their season.
CSI won the individual games by scores of 25-14, 25-7, and 25-17. CSI led nearly wire-to-wire, falling behind only once in all three games. In the first set, CSI took a commanding 9-1 lead early, powered by four Brittany Minondo service aces, part of 10 overall on the evening for the junior. Consecutive kills by Pola Poskrobko and Siobhan Granich also powered the Dolphins in the opener.
In the second stanza, again CSI led throughout the contest. This time, on Minondo’s service, CSI took a 6-0 lead to start powered by another three aces. Freshman attacker Vanessa Reyes added a kill to make it 17-4 as CSI was in complete control.
YU got their only lead of the match, 1-0, before CSI would score three consecutive points and never trailed again. With the score 9-7, Selma Kolenovic recorded a kill, and then slammed two service aces to turn the tide and put CSI in full control, never to leave the game in doubt.
All told, CSI would get a powerful game from Poskrobko, who finished with 11 kills next to just three errors on 22 total attacks. Kolenovic and Granich each added four kills, while Minondo led all scorers with 10 aces next to just one error. Kolenovic powered defensively with six digs. YU was guided by Kerrin Ast’s four kills while Marissa Almoslino recorded three aces and Shaina Hourizadeh lad everyone with 12 digs.
As a team CSI boasted a .164 attack percentage while YU struggled to a -.122 finish.
CSI will next be in action on Tuesday, September 9, when they face off against St. Joseph’s College (Brooklyn) in their home opener at CSI at 7pm.
