THROGGS NECK, NY – On Tuesday night, the Maritime College volleyball team played five sets for the second straight match. After falling behind two sets to one, the Privateers (0-6) rallied to take the fourth frame. However, Albertus Magnus (3-3) claimed the fifth set to notch a 15-25, 26-24, 25-17, 20-25, 15-11 victory at Riesenberg Gymnasium.
Maritime came storming out of the gate, scoring 14 of the first 16 points. The Privateers eventually extended their lead to 19-6 before the Falcons used a 9-4 spurt to pull within 23-15. An
Emma DeMuro (Mahopac, NY) kill brought Maritime to set point, then
Laci Werner (New York, NY) served the Privateers' fourth ace of the stanza. Maritime hit a combined .273 (12 kills, three errors, 33 attempts) in the 25-15 set win.
Mikaela Thiel (Fort Morgan, CO) served three consecutive aces to highlight a 9-1 Privateers run to start the second set. After Albertus Magnus rallied within one at 18-17, Maritime rattled off five of the next six points to push the margin back to five, 23-18. The Privateers reached set point at 24-20, but the Falcons responded with a 4-0 run to level the score at 24-24. Alberts Magnus earned its first set opportunity on a Naomi Batalla ace before closing out a come-from-behind 26-24 win that leveled the match at 1-1.
There were seven ties and three lead changes early in the third set. Back-to-back aces by Jayden Haddaway gave the Falcons a 14-10 lead, but
Ashley Pavarini (Ossining, NY) followed with a kill to start a 4-1 rally that brought Maritime within one at 15-14. The Falcons ended the set on a 10-3 run, though, to notch a 25-17 win and go ahead 2-1 in the match. Albertus Magnus hit .320 (9-1-25) in the frame, while the Privateers posted a .267 (14-6-30) third-set hitting percentage.
In the fourth set, Thiel again had a three-ace run while helping Maritime jump out to a 9-2 advantage. The Falcons got within 12-7 before the Privateers used a 6-1 spurt to push the margin back to 10 points, 18-8. Albertus Magnus eventually trimmed its deficit to 22-18, but pulled no closer. Maritime forced a fifth set by taking the fourth frame, 25-20.
After the Privateers took a 3-0 lead in the fifth set, the Falcons rattled off six straight points to pull ahead, 6-3. Albertus Magnus went back in front, 8-7, before consecutive Werner kills again gave Maritime the advantage, 9-8. However, the Falcons ended the match by securing seven of the last nine points. Albertus Magnus notched a .429 (8-2-14) hitting percentage in the fifth set, earning a 15-11 win to clinch the match.
Thiel handed out 40 assists for the second consecutive match. She added 10 digs to complete a double-double while also tallying six aces. Werner finished with a match-high 17 kills on .306 hitting, and
Addison Weist (Staten Island, NY) had 12 kills to go along with five aces. Pavarini, meanwhile, smashed 10 kills.
Lara Cocis (Coeur d'Alene, ID) contributed four blocks, while
Joan Anastasiades (Rockaway Beach, NY) recorded a match-high 15 digs.
For the Falcons, Gabriela Pelaez led the way with eight kills and a .417 hitting percentage. Jasmine Vann posted a double-double with 17 kills and 10 digs, and Batalla distributed 10 assists to go along with eight digs and five aces. Lia Beriguete also served five aces, while Paula Matheus notched seven kills on .500 hitting. She also tallied six blocks, as Albertus Magnus held a 9-4 edge in that category.
Up next for the Privateers is a 7 p.m. showdown at FDU-Florham (5-3) on Thursday. It's Maritime's only road contest in a five-match span.
