St. Joseph’s University, New York – Long Island picked up its first win of the 2026 season Saturday morning, defeating Brooklyn College 3-1 at the John A. Danzi Center Gym. The Golden Eagles took control early, winning the opening two sets by identical 25-20 scores before Brooklyn answered with a 25-20 victory in the third set. St. Joseph’s responded in the fourth, closing out a competitive frame 25-22 to secure the match.
Nina Vanderhoof led the Golden Eagles' attack with 13 kills while hitting an impressive .571 and adding two blocks. Sarah Hansen was equally efficient, recording 10 kills on just 14 attacks for a .571 hitting percentage, while Isabella Nieradko added seven kills. Samantha Lund directed the offense with 38 assists and also contributed 13 digs, helping St. Joseph’s finish the match with 44 kills and 41 assists.
St. Joseph’s also received a strong defensive performance from Brooke Schoppmeyer, who led all Golden Eagles with 17 digs. Chelsea D'Esposito added five kills, seven digs and two service aces, while the Golden Eagles finished with 67 total digs and 11 aces as a team. After Brooklyn forced a fourth set, St. Joseph’s remained composed late, closing the match on a 3-0 run to earn its first victory of the season and improve to 1-1.