BRONX, NY – The Maritime College volleyball team played its seventh five-set match of the season on Friday night. After dropping the fourth set, the Privateers (4-17) used a nine-point run to pull away in the fifth and notch a 25-21, 23-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-9 victory over Lehman (2-15) in their non-conference finale at the Lehman College APEX on Friday night.
Maritime had a 2-1 lead in the match when the Lightning's Ayah Hamdaoui served five aces during a 10-0 rally to start the fourth set. The Privateers cut their deficit to 10-5 (with
Addison Weist (Staten Island, NY) notching three straight aces) before Chloe Colon had four aces of her own while pushing Lehman's advantage back to 16-5. Maritime battled all the way back, though, leveling the score at 22-22 on an ace by
Mikaela Thiel (Fort Morgan, CO). Lehman claimed the next two points, though, and the Lightning forced a decisive frame by capturing the set, 25-23, on their second opportunity.
In the fifth set, neither side led by more than a point until Lehman rattled off three points in a row to go up 6-4. However, an
Andressa Dias-Moreira (Forest Hills, NY) block halted the run and
Maeby Irving (Hopkinsville, KY) followed with an ace. That was the first of three aces she would serve during a 9-0 spurt, as the privateers built a 13-6 cushion. A Weist kill brought Maritime to match point, and a kill by
Ashley Pavarini (Ossining, NY) ended it. The Privateers took the fifth set, 15-9, to clinch a 3-2 win and snap their seven-match losing streak.
Pavarini recorded her second straight double-double, finishing with a team-leading 12 kills to go along with 19 digs.
Lara Cocis (Coeur d'Alene, ID) had a career-best 11 kills, and Dias-Moreira tallied nine kills on .316 hitting.
Joan Anastasiades (Rockaway Beach, NY) set a career-high with 25 digs, while Weist collected 10 digs and served four aces. Thiel had 34 assists, nine digs and four aces in the victory. Irving, meanwhile, contributed five of Maritime's 18 aces.
For Lehman, Hamdaoui nearly posted a triple-double with 21 assists, 11 digs and eight aces. Alanis Vasquez registered 11 kills and 19 digs, while Amariah Emanuel Tyler returned 17 digs. Rashel Torres added 10 digs, and Chloe Colon notched five aces. Chanel Garcia, meanwhile, was credited with four blocks for the Lightning.
Lehman built an early 6-3 cushion in the first set before the Privateers rallied to take an 8-7 lead. After the Lightning went back in front, 10-8, Maritime used a 9-4 rally to surge ahead, 17-14. The Privateers extended the margin to 20-16, but Lehman countered with back-to-back points to get within two, 20-18. That's as close as it would get, though. Maritime ended the opening frame by claiming five of the final eight points, and a Weist kill closed out a 25-21 set win.
There were 11 ties and five lead changes in the second set. The Privateers went on a 7-2 run to turn a 9-8 deficit into a 15-11 advantage, but the Lightning countered with a 5-2 spurt to close the margin to 17-16. Maritime extended the cushion back to four points at 20-16 before Lehman claimed six of the next seven points to regain the lead, 22-21. After back-to-back points for the Privateers, the Lightning captured the next three to take the set, 25-23, and level the match.
Both teams went on lengthy runs in the third set. Maritime took the early lead, 6-2, but the Lightning responded with a 6-2 run of their own to level the score at 8-8. The Privateers then opened up an eight-point cushion at 17-9 before Lehman used a 10-1 spurt to go back in front, 19-18. After Maritime responded with three straight points, the Lightning notched the next two to make it 22-21. However, the Privateers clamed three of the final four points in the frame, and a Cocis kill wrapped up the 25-22 win that gave Maritime a 2-1 edge in the best-of-five contest.
All three of the Privateers' remaining matches are at home. Maritime (1-7 Skyline) begins the span by welcoming Mount St. Mary (10-8, 3-4 Skyline) to Riesenberg Gymnasium at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
