St. Joseph’s University Long Island capped a two-match day with a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over CCNY on Saturday afternoon in New York. The Golden Eagles dropped the opening two sets 25-21 and 25-22, but completely shifted the momentum after the break, taking the third set 25-14 before evening the match with a 25-20 fourth-set victory. St. Joseph’s then completed the comeback by winning the decisive fifth set 15-10.
Nina Vanderhoof powered the Golden Eagles with a match-high 16 kills while adding four blocks, while Sarah Hansen contributed 12 kills and three blocks. Chelsea D’Esposito added eight kills, and Olivia Baumann orchestrated the offense with 44 assists. Isabella Juliano provided a major spark from the service line with six aces, while Isabella Ruehle added four and Brooke Schoppmeyer three.
St. Joseph’s finished with a 50-40 advantage in kills and also held edges in hitting percentage (.188-.098), aces (17-12), blocks (8-4) and assists (49-40). CCNY received nine kills apiece from Holly Guzman and Ivanna Zamora Sanchez, while Rachael Reyes added seven kills and 11 digs. Emery Ramirez-Espinosa led the CCNY defense with 14 digs, but the Golden Eagles' comeback ultimately secured their fourth victory of the season.