BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The Pratt Institute women's volleyball team took the second set and remained within striking distance in the third, but suffered their first home defeat of the season, falling in four sets to St. Joseph's University, Long Island on Monday night, dropping a 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-13 decision at the Activity Resource Center.
St. Joseph's (7-3) broke away in the opening frame after Pratt (5-7) built an early 11-8 advantage behind a kill from Colleen Russell (Asbury, N.J.) and a block assist by Joanna Doyle (Warren, N.H.). The Golden Eagles answered with an 8-2 surge to take a 16-13 lead. Kills from Emma Hwang (Dallas, Texas) kept the Cannoneers within range, but the Golden Eagles closed on a 5-2 spurt to take the set, 25-18.
Pratt answered in a tightly contested second set that featured five ties and four lead changes. After St. Joseph's built a 16-12 cushion, the Cannoneers rallied to pull within 16-15 on a service ace from Zoe Broerman (Cincinnati, Ohio), a kill by Jamie Shoemake (La Crescenta, Calif.), and a solo block from Russell. Trailing 23-21 late, Pratt reeled off four consecutive points to claim the frame: Russell delivered consecutive kills to tie the score, and Kelsy Padilla (Brooklyn, N.Y.) followed with back-to-back service aces to seal the 25-23 win.
Set three proved just as tight, featuring nine ties and five lead changes. St. Joseph's opened up a 12-7 advantage before Pratt mounted a steady comeback. Trailing 19-16, the Cannoneers used a four-point service run by Angelina Chung (Brooklyn, N.Y.) — highlighted by an ace, a kill from Padilla, and another from Hwang — to surge ahead, 20-19. The Golden Eagles countered with four straight points to regain a 23-20 lead and closed out the frame, 25-22.
The visitors took command early in the fourth set, racing to leads of 10-3 and 18-5. Pratt responded with a four-point spurt keyed by a service ace from Hwang and kills from Shoemake and Russell to cut the deficit to 19-9, but the Golden Eagles finished off the match, 25-13.
Russell paced the Cannoneers with a team-high 13 kills, six digs, and two total blocks (one solo). Padilla contributed seven kills, seven digs, and three service aces. Hwang directed the offense with 19 assists, eight digs, and five kills, while Eden Shih (Manhattan, N.Y.) added nine digs and five assists. Broerman anchored the defense with a team-high 10 digs and four aces.
Pratt totaled 30 kills, nine service aces, and 55 digs on the night. St. Joseph's Long Island countered with 44 kills, 14 service aces, and four total blocks.
Nina Vanderhoof led the Golden Eagles with a match-high 14 kills on .323 hitting, while Sarah Hansen added 10 kills. Samantha Lund and Olivia Baumann split setting duties for the visitors, dishing out 21 and 16 assists, respectively.
Pratt returns to action hosting Medgar Evers College on Saturday, October 10 in a non-conference match starting at noon at the ARC.
