THROGGS NECK, NY – On Tuesday night, the Maritime College volleyball team began a three-match homestand by welcoming Merchant Marine to Riesenberg Gymnasium.  The Privateers (5-10, 2-4 Skyline) were looking for their third straight win, but instead fell to the Mariners (8-7, 5-1 Skyline) by a 25-16, 25-14, 25-15 count.

After the sides traded the first four points of the match, Merchant Marine used a 9-1 run to open up an 11-3 advantage.  Maritime took the next three points to make it 11-6 before the Mariners pushed the margin back to nine at 17-8.  Merchant Marine held a 19-11 lead when the Privateers rattled off three consecutive points to get within five, 19-14.    The Mariners rattled off four straight points, though, to make it 23-14 en route to earning a 25-16 win.

A Kelly Kuhn (Lansdale, PA) kill and a Victoria Cordero (Bronx, NY) service ace gave the Privateers a 2-0 lead early in the second set.  Merchant Marine used a 4-0 run to go in front, and eventually extended that advantage to 16-9.  The Mariners captured the second set by a score of 25-14, giving them a 2-0 edge in the match.

In the third set, Merchant Marine raced out to a 10-0 lead.  The Privateers scored five of the next six points to get within 11-5, but the Mariners responded with a 6-2 spurt to push the margin back to 10 points, 17-7.  After Maritime trimmed its deficit to six at 21-15, Merchant Marine scored four straight points to close out the set, 25-15, and the match, 3-0.

Ashley Pavarini (Ossining, NY) just missed a double-double for the Privateers, finishing with 10 digs and nine assists.  She also had five kills.  Jessica Mele (Southold, NY) recorded a team-best nine kills, while Erica Pagano (Lawrence, NY) added four kills and nine digs.  Cordero, meanwhile, contributed nine digs and three assists.

As a team, Merchant Marine hit .289 (42 kills, 14 errors, 97 attempts) and outdug Maritime 51-38.  Brittany Breland led the Mariners with 13 kills on .360 hitting, while Meredith Buchanan had a double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs.  Alexa Tipps posted a double-double of her own with 30 assists and 10 digs, and Stephanie Schatzman registered 12 digs to go along with five assists and four aces.  Amy Jones added eight kills and four blocks for Merchant Marine.

Maritime continues its homestand on Thursday, when Purchase (4-12, 2-5 Skyline) comes to town for a 7 p.m. contest.