THROGGS NECK, NY - The Maritime College women's volleyball team fell in heart-breaking fashion in their final home game of the 2019 season as Old Westbury defeated the Privateers in five sets. Maritime came out hot and won the opening two sets, but the Panthers were able to rally and win the final three sets to steal the Skyline Conference matchup.

In the opening set, a flurry of offense with Meghan Eagleton (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) at the serving line helped the Privateers separate their lead. Three kills from Erica Pagano (Lawrence, NY/Lawrence) and two from Abby Steele (Crossville, Tenn./Stone Memorial) gave Maritime a 15-9 advantage. The lead was big enough for the Privateers to ride all the way to a 25-18 first set victory.

Maritime continued their momentum into the second set as they jumped ahead early with a 6-3 score. Old Westbury was able to battle back, but it was another mid-set run by the Privateers that was the difference in deciding the set. Three kills from Steele in the closing points helped Maritime close out a 25-19 win in the second set.

The third set saw another early lead from Maritime as two service aces from Brooke Kirchner (Lawrence, NY/Lawrence) helped the team take an 11-5 lead. Unfortunately, it was the Panthers turn to make a run in the middle of the set and both teams found themselves in a back-and-forth battle for the match. With the score knotted at 23, Old Westbury got the first advantage, but the Privateers were able to fight off two match points and tie the set at 26. Unfortunately, the Panthers got the final push and ultimately kept the match alive with a 28-26 win.

Old Westbury kept that momentum going into the fourth set as they forced a fifth and deciding set with a 25-20 win. In the fifth set, a kill from Pagano and ace from Kirchner gave Maritime an 8-4 advantage at the turn. The Privateers kept rolling and led 13-7 after a hitting error from the Panthers. A few points later, a service error gave Maritime four match points at 14-10, but Old Westbury managed to stay in the match and steal the fifth set with a 17-15 win.

Pagano and Steele led the offense with 17 kills each, while Celyna Custodio (Danbury, Conn./Danbury) also chipped in double-digit kills with 11. Erika Kirchner (Meadowmere Park, N.Y./Lawrence) dished out 45 assists, while the Maritime defense was stellar with four players reaching double-digits. Abby Solomos (Mt. Sinai, N.Y./Mt. Sinai) led the way with 22 digs, while Steele added 21 of her own. Brooke Kirchner (Lawrence, NY/Lawrence) tallied 16 and Erika Kirchner (Meadowmere Park, N.Y./Lawrence) totaled 11. The Privateers get back on the court tomorrow night as they take on Yeshiva University.