The College of Staten Island won the opening two sets, but could not put away St. Joseph’s College (Brooklyn), suffering a 3-2 loss to the Bears as part of non-league play in Brooklyn, NY. The Dolphins lost for the 9th-straight time, falling to 4-14 overall, while the Bears moved ahead to 7-3. This was the second meeting between the two teams this year with both squads taking a match apiece on their respective home floors.
CSI appeared poised to snap their losing skid when they took the first two games by scores of 25-23 and 25-19. The Dolphins scattered 13 kills in the opener, and in the second were even crisper, nothing 10 kills against just two errors.
But SJC would come alive in the next two sets, winning by identical 25-21 scores. The trio of Raul Urshela, Thomas Kennedy, and Taso Kostikas were all solid, finishing with exceptional percentages and a lot of kills.
In the fifth and deciding set, CSI had a modest 2-1 lead, but with the score later tied, 3-3, SJC went on a very important 5-1 run, helped along by three CSI ball-handling errors, giving momentum and control back to the Bears.
Down 13-5, CSI rallied for four straight points, but it was not enough as SJC took the final game, 15-10.
CSI was led by Mark Palencia’s 16 kills and 10 digs. Brian Sheydvasser net 15 kills on 28 attempts. Urshela led all Bears with 18 kills on 39 attacks, while Kostikas added 16 kills and a game-high 21 digs.
Up next for CSI will be a match within the CUNYAC, as they host Brooklyn College on Thursday at 7pm at the Sports & Recreation Center.
