NEWBURGH, N.Y. – The Maritime volleyball team visited the Kaplan Center for a Skyline Conference tri-match against the host Mount St. Mary Knights and the St. Joseph's (LI) Golden Eagles.
 
The Privateers fell in both matches, losing 3-1 against the Knights, and dropping their contest against the Golden Eagles in straight sets.
 
Junior Shannon Brady (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) led Maritime with 17 kills over the span of both matches, while senior Carly Lombardo (Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) had 13, and rookie Sheila Flaherty (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) had 12. Senior Erika Bailey (Newark Valley, N.Y./Tioga Central) had 43 assists, including 32 in the opener against Mount St. Mary. Flaherty and junior Gabrielle Kempski (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) had three service aces apiece to lead the team.
 
Lombardo had 28 digs to lead the defensive effort with Kempski one off the pace at 27 digs. Brady added 20 digs on the afternoon at the Kaplan Center. Flaherty had 10 blocks, while Lombardo had six as Maritime had a big day in the front court.
 
After falling behind two sets to none in the opener to Mount St. Mary by the scores of 18-25 and 22-25, Maritime came back and won the third set.
 
In the third, sophomore Meredith Hayes (Houston, Texas/St. Agnes Academy) earned the first point of the set with an early kill. After four-straight points by the Knights, the Privateers answered with five points, which included a kill from Lombardo.
 
The set was tied at nine, 11, 13, 14, and 17 as the two sides battled back and forth. Maritime took a 19-17 lead before a Mount St. Mary point pulled the Knights back within one. Flaherty, Lombardo and Brady combined for two blocks, while Bailey also earned a kill to put the Privateers up by a 22-18 score.
 
After moving ahead by a 24-20 score on a Flaherty kill, the Knights climbed back in with three unanswered points to pull back within on. On the Mount St. Mary service, the Privateers answered and Hayes put down the ball to clinch the set for the Privateers to force a fourth set.
 
Mount St. Mary went on to win the fourth set to 25-18 score, to earn the conference win by a 3-1 mark.
 
In the match, Brady had 12 kills to lead the team while Kempski led with three service aces. Flaherty had five blocks, while Lombardo had 18 digs to lead the Privateers against Mount St. Mary.
 
Against the Golden Eagles, Maritime was unable to take a set falling by the scores of 20-25, 15-25, and 13-25.
 
The Privateers were able to keep the first two sets close in the early going, but mid-set rallies by the Golden Eagles pushed St. Joseph's ahead by a 2-0 score. In the third set, the Golden Eagles took a 5-0 lead and did not turn back as St. Joseph's accelerated to the straight-set victory.
 
Against the Golden Eagles, Flaherty led Maritime in kills with six, aces with three and blocks with five. Bailey had 11 assists, while Kempski had 11 digs to lead the way for the Privateers.
 
Maritime (10-13, 3-5 Skyline) will return home to Riesenberg Hall Gymnasium on Tuesday evening when the team hosts Brooklyn at 7 p.m. in a non-conference matchup.
 
Mount St. Mary (12-15, 4-2 Skyline) will travel to Sage next Saturday for a tri-match with the host Gators and the Old Westbury Panthers. St. Joseph's (LI) (8-13, 3-3 Skyline) will play against Monroe at home on Friday evening at 7:00 p.m.