THROGGS NECK, NY – On Monday night, the Maritime College women's volleyball team took on Skyline Conference-leading Merchant Marine at Riesenberg Gymnasium.  The Privateers (4-11, 2-6 Skyline) were unable to get by the first-place Mariners (17-3, 9-1 Skyline), however, as Merchant Marine notched a 25-16, 25-10, 25-12 triumph.

After the teams traded points early in the first set, a Brooke Kirchner (Lawrence, NY) service ace capped a 3-0 Maritime rally that gave the Privateers a 10-8 lead.  Merchant Marine scored the next five points, though, to go ahead 13-10.  The Privateers eventually cut their deficit to two at 17-15, but the Mariners ended the set on an 8-1 run to earn a 25-16 win.

Merchant Marine then scored the first seven points of the second set.  After the Mariners extended their advantage to 20-6, Maritime won four of the next five points to pull within 21-10.  Merchant Marine responded with four straight points to finish off the set, 25-10.

In the third set, Merchant Marine jumped out to an 8-4 advantage before Maritime rallied to tie the score at 9-9.  The Mariners rattled off 13 of the next 14 points, though, to make it 22-10, and Merchant Marine took the set by a 25-12 count to close out the 3-0 victory.

For the Privateers, Jessica Mele (Southold, NY) had a team-high seven kills, and Celyna Custodio (Danbury, CT) added five kills.  Kirchner handed out 12 assists, while Victoria Cordero (Bronx, NY) posted five digs.

Paige Smith paced the Mariners with 14 kills and eight digs.  Shelby Bowman also had eight digs for Merchant Marine, which outdug Maritime 31-18.  Brittany Breland, meanwhile, finished with seven kills and six aces.  Brittany Pinzon distributed 21 assists and Claire Hyun tallied nine assists.  As a team, the Mariners hit .419 (40 kills, nine errors, 74 attempts) in the match.

The Privateers conclude their two-match homestand by welcoming Purchase (3-11, 1-7 Skyline) to Riesenberg Gymnasium for a 6 p.m. showdown on Thursday.