Box Score THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – The Maritime women's volleyball team dropped its season opener to the Lehman Lightning on Tuesday afternoon inside Riesenberg Hall Gymnasium.
 
Sophomore Shannon Brady (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) led the team with 12 kills on the match, while junior Carly Lombardo (Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) had 21 assists to lead the Privateers. Senior Charlotte Acklin (Lewes, Del./West Broward (Fla.)) had a superb match on serves with a career-best six service aces. Lombardo along with sophomore Gabrielle Kempski (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) led the defensive category with 14 digs apiece. Brady and freshman Meredith Hayes (Houston, Texas/St. Agnes Academy) led the squad with four and three blocks respectively.
 
After falling behind by three in the opening set, Maritime evened the set at three before taking a 4-3 advantage for the first lead of the night. Lehman took a 10-4 lead but gave the ball back to Maritime after a bad service by the Lightning.
 
The team's battled evenly over the next series and the set was tied at 14. The Privateers rolled out an 11-3 run to close out the first set by a 25-17 margin.
 
The second set was similar to that of the first with the Lightning taking the early advantage and the Privateers stormed back to seven the set at seven, before the Lightning tied it at both nine and 11.
 
Maritime surged ahead to take a 21-15 lead, and went on to close out the set by a close 25-23 margin.
 
The third and fourth sets saw the Privateers fall behind early, in the third set the Privateers surged back late as the team got kills from senior Colleen Sheehy (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees) and Kempski, as well as a service ace from Brady to pull back within two at 19-17. Lehman was able to hold off the late comeback attempt and take the third set 25-22.
 
Maritime fell behind in a 19-11 hole, which the team was unable to recover from as the Lightning continued its momentum and forced the fifth and deciding set.
 
The fifth set saw Lehman jump out to a quick 8-3 lead as the sides switched sides, with the favor back in the hands of the Privateers as Brady led an extended offensive series that saw the Privateers close the gap at 11-7. However, Lehman was able to hold off any other threat by Maritime, as the Lightning escaped with the five-set win.
 
Maritime will look to Thursday as the team takes on New Rochelle at 7 p.m. in search of its first win of the year inside Riesenberg Hall Gymnasium.