THROGGS NECK, NY – After falling behind two-sets-to-one, the Maritime College volleyball team (5-12, 3-6 Skyline) rallied to post a 22-25, 25-17, 21-25, 25-19, 15-8 triumph over Purchase (3-13, 1-9 Skyline) at Riesenberg Gymnasium on Thursday night.  Celyna Custodio (Danbury, CT) and Jessica Mele (Southold, NY) combined for 37 of the Privateers' 55 kills, both hitting over. 300 in the match.

Leading the match 2-1, Purchase took a 9-5 lead in the fourth set.  The Privateers responded with four straight points, however, to tie it at 9-9.  With the score knotted at 13-13, Maritime used a 9-3 spurt to open up a 22-16 advantage.  A Mele kill wrapped up the set, 25-19, and sent the match into a decisive fifth frame.

In the fifth set, it was all Maritime.  The Privateers scored four of the first five points and extended their lead to 11-5 on a Samantha Hart (Brooklyn, NY) service ace.  After Purchase pulled within 13-8, a Mele kill set up match point, and an ace by Victoria Cordero (Bronx, NY) finished off the comeback win.  Maritime took the fifth set by a 15-8 margin.

Custodio finished with 20 kills on .421 hitting, while Mele had a double-double with 17 kills and 17 digs.  She also tallied four aces.  Brooke Kirchner (Lawrence, NY) posted a double-double of her own with 44 assists and 15 digs.  Meghan Eagleton (Poughkeepsie, NY) contributed 11 digs, six kills and four aces, and Erica Pagano (Lawrence, NY) added four aces of her own.  Cordero, meanwhile, recorded 10 digs for Maritime, which hit .211 (55 kills, 23 errors, 152 attempts) as a team.

Maritime scored the first three points of the match and quickly jumped out to an 8-2 lead before Purchase rallied within one at 9-8.  The Privateers pushed the margin back to four points at 15-11, but the Panthers again responded, leveling the opening set at 19-19.  After Maritime captured the next point to regain the lead, Purchase went on a 6-2 run to close out the first set, 25-22.

Back-to-back Mele kills started the second set, and Maritime eventually built a 5-2 advantage.  After Purchase trimmed its deficit to one at 6-5, the Privateers countered with a five-point spurt.  Maritime extended the cushion to eight points at 17-9 before the Panthers rallied back within 18-14.  However, the Privateers captured five of the next six points to bring the margin back to eight, 23-15, en route to a 25-17 set win.

There were 10 ties and eight lead changes in the third set.  The Panthers went ahead 13-10 before a 6-1 Maritime run put the Privateers in front, 16-14.  Purchase then used a 6-2 run to take a 20-18 lead.  Maritime got back within one, but the Panthers ended the set on a 4-1 spurt to earn a 25-21 win and go up 2-1 in the match.

For Purchase, Pamella Gonzalez led the way with nine kills, 20 digs and three aces.  Lilith Bastek-Ochoa added nine kills and 10 digs, while Skyla Schoppmeyer tallied 13 digs and four aces.  Karina Medina finished with 25 assists and nine digs for the Panthers, who outdug the Privateers 72-65.

The Privateers are back in action with a pair of matches on Saturday.  Maritime takes on Mount St. Mary (12-11, 6-4 Skyline) in a Skyline Conference matchup at 11 a.m. before facing Pratt (13-5) at 1 p.m.  Both matches will be played at Mount St. Mary's Kaplan Center.