BRONX, N.Y. – The Maritime Volleyball Team returned to the tri-state area with an emphatic three-set victory over the Lehman Lighting on Thursday evening from the APEX. The Privateers swept the Lightning by the scores of 25-9, 25-18, and 25-19.
 
Freshman Sheila Flaherty (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) led the team with a dozen kills, while sophomore Meredith Hayes (Houston, Texas/St. Agnes Academy) was second on the team with nine. Hayes led the Privateers with a pair of service aces as well. Juniors Shannon Brady (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) and Gabrielle Kempski (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) led Maritime with nine digs apiece on the defensive side of the ball.
 
Senior Erika Bailey (Newark Valley, N.Y./Tioga Central) picked up where she left off late last season, as she etched her name back in the top-10 of the record books with 30 assists. Her 30 total assists placed her seventh on the single-match list, and is 15 off her program record of 45 set a season ago against St. Joseph's (Bklyn).
 
The match started out evenly between the Privateers and Lightning, but after Lehman tied the opening set at four, Maritime collected nine straight points including three kills from Flaherty.
 
Up by an 18-9 lead, the Privateers rattled off the last seven points of the set including the set-clinching point by senior Carly Lombardo (Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville).
 
In the second set, Maritime worked up an 8-4 lead but Lehman trimmed its deficit to one. After building their lead back up to four at 16-12, the Privateers went on an 8-2 run and were within one point of sealing the second set. However, Lehman scored the next four before Brady sealed the set with a kill at 25-18.
 
The third set saw Lehman take an early 5-2 lead, but Maritime score the next six points including three kills from Flaherty and one from Brady. The Privateers kept the Lightning at arm's length and eventually opened an 18-12 advantage.
 
The Privateers took a 23-14 lead on a kill from Brady, followed by an attacking error by the Lightning. After four-straight points from Lehman, Maritime got one back on a Lightning service error and eventually closed out the 25-19 set on a kill from Hayes.
 
Maritime (2-3) will be on the road this Saturday in a tri-match with Bard and Sarah Lawrence, the Privateers battle the Gryphons at 12 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. start with the host Raptors.
 
Lehman (1-2) will open up CUNYAC play on Saturday, when the Lightning host Staten Island and City College of New York at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. from the APEX.