The College of Staten Island women’s volleyball squad won for the third straight, starting an eight-game road swing with a 3-1 victory over St. Joseph’s College (Brooklyn) this evening in Brooklyn, NY.  CSI won 25-16, 25-23, 23-25, and 25-19.  The win improved CSI to 5-4 overall, while the Bears fell to 2-3.

A big 6-0 run in the first set the stage for the Dolphins in the opening set.  Down 8-7, two kills by Selma Kolenovic ended the run to give CSI a 13-8 lead that it would never relinquish.  Kolenovic added two more alter to extend the lead to 17-10, before CSI ultimately nestled to a 25-16 first set win.

In the second set, CSI was helped along by a strong start, getting out to a 5-0 lead, opening with an Ashley Notaro kill and finished by a Brittany Minondo ace.  SJC rallied, however, to take an 11-6 lead as they went on a 9-0 run, helped along by three Nina DiCioccio aces.  Down 13-8, CSI then made its move, going on a 12-1 tear to take a 20-14 lead.  Siobhan Granich had four kills in the run, while Skenderjie Mila added three aces.  SJC would make things interesting but a set-ending kill by Kolenovic gave CSI the 25-23 win.  

In the third set, SJC led the entire way, at one point taking a big, 16-9 lead.  Down 18-11, CSI then ripped off eight straight points to take a 19-18 lead, but SJC responded by taking a 22-20 lead, and would score the final two points of the third set to force a fourth, winning, 25-23.

In the fourth, the points went back and forth but CSI made a decisive run midway through, turning a 10-10 tie into a 17-12 lead, powered by two Kolenovic aces and kills by Granich and Notaro.  Kills by Rosamarie Gonzalez and Granich sealed things later, 25-19, clinching CSI’s 3-1 win.

CSI was led by Granich’s 13 kills on 29 attacks, while Kolenovic finished with 10.  Minondo finished with 33 assists and tied Vanessa Reyes for the team lead in digs with 17.  Mila added five aces. For SJC, they were led by Lauren GaNun’s 20 kills on 65 attempts.  Anna Carbone notched 24 assists.

?CSI will be back in action tomorrow night, going on the road again to face the College of New Rochelle, at 7pm, as part of non-conference play.