St. Joseph’s University, New York – Brooklyn rallied from a two-set lead by Penn State Shenango to earn a 3-2 victory Saturday afternoon, picking up its first win of the 2026 season. The Bears opened the match with a 25-19 victory and followed with a dominant 25-10 second-set performance. Shenango responded by taking the third set 25-22 and the fourth 25-17, forcing a decisive fifth set.
Carissa Zwiefelhofer powered the Bears throughout the comeback, recording a triple-double with 10 kills, 23 assists and 10 digs while hitting .450. Keren Crespo also finished with 10 kills, while Karson Brooks added eight kills, 10 digs and four service aces. Juliette DiVittorio anchored the defense with a team-high 14 digs, while the Bears received a strong serving performance that included 16 team aces.
The fifth set remained close early, tied at 4-4 before St. Joseph’s created separation and never surrendered the lead. Brooks came through with three kills during the final stretch, while Zwiefelhofer contributed a kill and two aces as the Bears closed out the comeback with a 15-7 fifth-set victory. St. Joseph’s finished with 35 kills, 30 assists and three blocks, while limiting Shenango to a .016 hitting percentage.