KINGS POINT, N.Y. – The Maritime Volleyball team split its two matches at the 2015 Maritime Classic on Saturday afternoon, falling to the Maine Maritime Mariners in four sets, before picking up a straight-set win over the Mass. Maritime Buccaneers.
 
Sophomore Shannon Brady (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) led the team with 16 kills on the day, while junior Carly Lombardo (Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) added 13, and freshman Meredith Hayes (Houston, Texas/St. Agnes Academy) chipped in with 10 kills. Junior Erika Bailey (Newark Valley, N.Y./Tioga Central) recorded 41 assists on the day, while finishing the afternoon with four service aces. Lombardo led the service ace category with nine over the team's seven sets.
 
Defensively, Lombardo had a team-best 25 digs, followed by 16 from Brady and 15 from Kempski. Senior Charlotte Acklin (Lewes, Del./West Broward (Fla.)) had 13 digs, while Bailey added 11 of her own. Hayes led the squad with four blocks on the day as well.
 
In the opener, Maritime fell behind as Maine Maritime jumped out to a quick lead, eventually building it up to an 18-10 score. The Privateers answered with five of the next six points in the match to pull within five, but the Mariners closed out the set by a 25-17 score.
 
In the second, the match was fairly even through the first 12 points with the score tied at six apiece. Maine Maritime opened up a 13-8 advantage before a kill from sophomore Gabrielle Kempski (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) and  block from Hayes and Lombardo pulled the Privateers back within three. The Mariners picked up the next six points and eventually finished off the second set with a 25-16 score.
 
After falling behind in the third set by a quick 2-0 score; Brady, Hayes, and Lombardo each picked up kills. Maine Maritime regained the lead by jumping up to a 7-4 score, but the Privateers refused to go down quietly as Lombardo put down a service ace to make the score 7-6 in favor of Maine Maritime.
 
The Mariners opened up another five-point advantage, but Brady got the tide rolling again for the Privateers with a kill. Bailey put down a service ace, followed by an error from the Mariners, a Privateer block and another service ace from Bailey evened the set at 13 apiece.
 
Maritime opened up a two-point cushion, but Maine Maritime answered with three. The Privateers again came from behind with 10 of the final 13 points of the set to clinch the third set and avoid defeat, taking the stanza by a 25-19 score.
 
Maine Maritime jumped out to a large lead in the fourth set, and did not turn back as the Mariners won with ease by a 25-8 score. Maine Maritime took the match 3-1 by the scores of 25-17, 25-16, 19-25 and 25-8.
 
In the second Privateer match of the day, Maritime handled the Mass. Maritime Buccaneers with ease throughout the match winning in straight sets, 25-19, 25-13, and 25-10.
 
The opening set saw Brady pick up a kill, with three Buccaneer errors to put the Privateers up by a 4-1 score. After another Mass. Maritime point, Maritime responded with four consecutive points with one coming by way of a kill from Lombardo, and another on a service ace by Hayes.
 
With an 11-7 lead, the Privateers added breathing room to their score with four straight points including a service ace from Acklin. Maritime kept a 10-point distance between themselves and the Buccaneers, holding on for a 12-point win in the opener.
 
In the second set, the Privateers took five of the first seven points of the set with a pair of kills by Brady highlighting the run. After a brief burst by Mass. Maritime, the Privateers rallied from down by a 14-13 score to take 12 of the final 16 overall points in the set to pick up the 25-19 win.
 
After leading by just one in the early-going of the third set, Maritime picked up the next five points with four coming by way of service ace from Lombardo. Kempski and Brady later picked up kills and Kempski put down a service ace to give Maritime a 14-5 advantage.
 
The Privateers picked up 11 of the final 15 points in the set with kills coming from Kempski, Brady, senior Meghan Burke (Staten Island, N.Y./Susan E. Wagner), Hayes, and freshman Isabella Kent (Narrowsburg, N.Y./Sullivan West). Junior Alyssa Esposito (Farmingdale, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) also picked up a service ace during the strong rally by the Privateers to seal the victory and split on the afternoon.
 
Maritime (3-5) will open up Skyline Conference play on Sunday, when the team hosts a tri-match against Yeshiva and St. Joseph's (LI). The Privateers will meet the Maccabees at 10 a.m., and follow with the Golden Eagles at 2 p.m.
 
Maine Maritime (7-3), and Mass. Maritime (1-6) will continue their stays in New York with Maritime Classic Action tomorrow as the two sides will square off against one-another at 10 a.m., followed by Maine Maritime and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy meeting at 12 p.m.