The women’s volleyball team earned a convincing non-conference victory on Thursday evening at the ARC Arena, defeating the St. Joseph’s University of Brooklyn Bears in straight sets, 25-17, 29-27, 25-20.
Baruch improved its play on both sides of the ball throughout the match, hitting a season-best .337 as a team with 40 kills while recording 41 digs and nine total blocks.
The Bearcats controlled the opening set from the start, attacking at a .276 clip with 13 kills on their way to a comfortable 25-17 victory.
The second set proved to be the match’s turning point as the two teams battled through 18 tie scores and nine lead changes. Neither squad could create separation late in the frame, resulting in a 27-27 deadlock. With the set hanging in the balance, Maria Zecchinel delivered consecutive kills to close out the thrilling set and give Baruch a dramatic 29-27 win.
They maintained the momentum in the third set, using timely offense and strong defensive play to secure a 25-20 victory and complete the sweep.
Zecchinel led the Bearcats with eight kills while committing no attack errors on 15 attempts for a .533 hitting percentage. Alicia Graves paced the offense with a match-high 10 kills and a stellar .769 attack percentage, while Maya Rybka added a career-best seven kills. Erica Peralta contributed six kills, and Sarah Sellami also finished with six.
Running the offense efficiently again was setter Karen Pozo Castro, who recorded a season-best 35 assists while adding five service aces. Defensively, Pei Qiong Ren led the back row with 11 digs, while Rybka chipped in six digs and Sellami added seven.
As a team, the Bearcats registered 10 service aces, highlighted by five from Pozo Castro and two from Ava Tartour.
Carissa Zwiefelhofer led the visiting Bears with 13 kills.