KINGS POINT, NY – The Maritime College volleyball team (4-11, 1-1 Skyline) made program history in a 25-12, 23-25, 25-20, 25-17 loss to Merchant Marine (8-4, 1-0 Skyline) at Liebertz Gymnasium on Tuesday night. The second-set triumph marked the first time in 19 all-time meetings that the Privateers won a set against the Mariners.
After Maritime scored the first three points of the match, Merchant Marine responded with a 10-1 run to open up a 10-4 lead. The Mariners extended their advantage to 23-9 before the Privateers won three of the next four points. Merchant Marine got a block from Maddie Mayer on the next point, though, to close out the set, 25-12.
There were five ties in a tightly-contested second set. Merchant Marine jumped in front 6-3, then Maritime rattled off three straight points to force a 6-6 deadlock. The Mariners eventually built a six-point cushion at 20-14 before a
Karelys Rolon (Hudson, FL) kill sparked a 6-1 rally that brought the Privateers within one, 21-20. Merchant Marine won the next two points, but Maritime responded with five in a row to take the frame, 25-23, and level the match at one set apiece.
In the third set, Merchant Marine raced out to a 10-1 advantage. After the margin reached 10 points at 22-12,
Soraya Hall (Valrico, FL) smashed a kill to start a 7-1 Maritime run that got the Privateers within four at 23-19. It would get no closer, though, as Merchant Marine finished off the set, 25-20, to go up 2-1 in the match.
Merchant Marine went ahead 7-3 early in the fourth set, but Maritime countered with an 8-3 spurt to take an 11-10 lead. The Mariners won eight of the next 10 points, however, to regain an 18-13 cushion. After the Privateers got back within four at 21-17, Merchant Marine ended the contest by taking the final four points. With the 25-17 fourth-set triumph, the Mariners clinched a 3-1 match victory.
Rolon
notched her second double-double in three matches with 12 kills and 20 digs.
Ashley Pavarini (Ossining, NY) had a double-double of her own with 14 assists and 11 digs, while
Grace Devaney (Lynbrook, NY) and Hall each tallied eight kills.
Mikaela Thiel (Fort Morgan, CO) handed out 16 assists to go along with seven digs, and
Victoria Cordero (Bronx, NY) finished with 10 digs for the Privateers, who held a 61-59 edge in that category.
For Merchant Marine, Erin Sillinger led the way with 15 kills on .483 hitting. Sydney Douglas recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs. Kylie Creech, meanwhile, posted 14 assists and 11 digs. Mayer had five service aces and eight blocks, while Alexa Tipps recorded a team-best 18 assists. Stephanie Schatzman collected a match-high 21 digs for the Mariners, who hit a combined .237 (46 kills, 15 errors, 131 attempts) as a team.
On Thursday, the Privateers return to Riesenberg Gymnasium for a 7 p.m. matchup with St. Joseph's LI (6-7, 2-0 Skyline). It will be Maritime's only home contest in a seven-match span.
