Staten Island, NY |
Margaret O'Malley-Rebovich continued her torrid pace, tallying 10 kills on 15 attacks with no errors to lift the Dolphins to their second straight win. The win not only moves the Dolphins up to 7-4 on the year but also ends a four-match losing skid against the Eagles of St. Elizabeth.
Francesca Castellano added seven kills on 20 attacks while leading the team with 16 digs.
Caitlin Esposito was lethal from behind the stripe tonight, picking up eight service aces, bringing her season total to 34.
Arianna Spears continues to climb the assist ladder, adding 24 tonight on top of her two service aces.
Staten Island 3, College of St. Elizabeth 0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-22)
Both teams tested the waters to open the match going back-and-forth until the Dolphins were able to take a 10-7 lead. Down 7-6,
Cassidy Iannariello changed the momentum in the Dolphins' favor, securing three aces aided by an attacking error and kill by O'Malley-Rebovich to take the lead.
Celina Mendez helped stretch the Dolphins' lead further with great serves.
Esposito would pick up five of her eight aces in the match in the opening set as the Eagles had no answer for her serves which led to a 9-0 run towards the end, giving the Dolphins a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second game, the Dolphins took a large lead, never letting the Eagles gain ground to mount a comeback. Staten Island used a 7-2 run midway through the game which featured several attacking errors by the Eagles. St. Elizabeth's second game was their worst of the match, hitting -.143 as a team.
One of the bright spots for the Eagles was Mitarotonda as she led the team with eight kills on 33 total attacks. Maura Farley distributed the ball all match and picked up 13 assists for her efforts.
The third game was the closest of the match, seeing the Dolphins win by just three after a late rally by the Eagles saw them close the gap. The Dolphins led by as much as five but a 4-1 run brought them within one, 18-17. Esposito would put an end to the run when she secured a kill to give the Dolphins the advantage. The Eagles brought it back within one in the waning moments as Alizea Amaral picked up a pair of service aces before Staten Island called a timeout to regroup and slow down Amaral.
The timeout would prove to be perfectly timed as the Dolphins would come out and earn two straight kills to end the match and earn their seventh win of the season.
This win ties the Dolphins' win total from last season with 13 matches remaining in the season, not counting the CUNYAC Playoffs.
Staten Island will return to action on Tuesday, September 25 when they travel to Jamaica, NY to take on CUNYAC opponents, York College at 7:00 pm.
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