The University of Mount Saint Vincent women’s volleyball team delivered a clutch performance on Saturday afternoon, defeating St. Joseph’s University, Brooklyn, 3-2, in a five-set Skyline Conference battle at The Hill Center. The Dolphins jumped out to a two-set advantage, winning the opening frames 25-16 and 25-23, before the Bears fought back to even the match with victories of 25-17 and 25-10. With the match on the line in the deciding fifth set, UMSV regrouped and secured a 15-12 victory to earn the conference win. The result gave the Dolphins an important road victory against a St. Joseph’s team that had been playing well in conference action.
UMSV established control early, producing an impressive offensive performance in the opening set. The Dolphins took advantage of attacking opportunities and built a comfortable lead, highlighted by a strong stretch that saw them move from a 7-7 tie to a 17-7 advantage. Evelyn Starns and Dominique Otranto helped fuel the offensive surge, while Alysa Padgett contributed at the net and from the service line. The Dolphins finished the opening frame with 16 kills and a .316 hitting percentage, while holding St. Joseph’s to just seven kills. UMSV closed out the set, 25-16, and carried that momentum into the second. The Bears responded with a much more competitive effort, recording 15 kills in the frame and keeping the score close throughout. However, the Dolphins continued to find timely points and held on for a 25-23 victory, moving within one set of completing the sweep.
Facing a two-set deficit, St. Joseph’s Brooklyn responded with its strongest stretch of the afternoon. The Bears found their offensive rhythm in the third set, with Carissa Zwiefelhofer leading the attack and Keren Crespo contributing important points. St. Joseph’s improved its efficiency and took advantage of UMSV errors to earn a 25-17 win, cutting the match deficit to 2-1. The momentum continued into the fourth set, where the Bears delivered a dominant performance. St. Joseph’s recorded 11 kills while committing just one attack error, finishing with an impressive .435 hitting percentage. The Bears controlled the frame from start to finish, taking a convincing 25-10 victory to even the match at two sets apiece and force a decisive fifth set.
The final frame featured another shift in momentum, as UMSV responded to the Bears’ comeback with a composed performance. Both teams continued to trade points, but the Dolphins found the plays they needed to regain control. Starns and Padgett provided key offensive contributions, while Stephanie Rodriguez helped direct the attack and create opportunities for her teammates. St. Joseph’s continued to lean on Zwiefelhofer, who had been a major force throughout the match, but UMSV maintained its advantage in the closing points. The Dolphins eventually reached match point and finished the job with a 15-12 victory, ending the Bears’ comeback attempt and securing the 3-2 road win.
Key Stats and Takeaways
Despite finishing with fewer kills, UMSV found a way to win by producing timely offense and controlling the match in key stretches. St. Joseph’s held a 53-48 advantage in kills and a .240-.159 edge in team hitting percentage. The Bears also finished ahead in service aces, 16-13, assists, 47-41, and digs, 67-65. However, the Dolphins controlled the net with a 7-3 advantage in blocks, an important difference in a match decided by just three points in the fifth set. Starns led UMSV with 14 kills and a .324 hitting percentage, while Padgett added 10 kills, four service aces and three blocks. Rodriguez orchestrated the offense with 30 assists and contributed four service aces and 10 digs. Anna Nolasco led the Dolphins with 13 digs, while Otranto added six kills and four blocks. For St. Joseph’s, Zwiefelhofer delivered an outstanding performance with 22 kills, a .409 hitting percentage, 17 assists and 12 digs. Karson Brooks contributed six kills, four service aces and a team-high 15 digs, while Abigail Medina recorded 23 assists and three service aces. Madeleine Niño also made an impact from the service line, finishing with five aces. The victory improved UMSV to 8-15 overall and 5-5 in Skyline Conference play, while St. Joseph’s Brooklyn moved to 10-9 overall and 6-4 in conference action.