CSJ FALLS SHORT AGAINST DEAN BULLDOGS

College of St. Joseph's Women's Volleyball team put forth a great performance, but came up just short of beating the Dean Bulldogs on Monday, Oct. 3. The match was tightly contested throughout the night and the Lady Saints would eventually lose in the fifth set.

CSJ got started with a bang, thriving off the positive energy of their home fans. They won the first set 25-23 and looked to be in control of the match. Maggie Miller served up three aces to close out the set and put the Lady Saints ahead.

The Dean Bulldogs fought back immediately, dominating the second set with a score of 25-8. They were able to utilize their libero Samantha Mulcahy at the perfect moment in the set and earn a number of points through her stellar play. Suddenly, the momentum had shifted in Dean's favor.

The Bulldogs held onto that momentum and used it going into the third set. They took advantage of CSJ's lack of height on the front line and won the set 25-14. Listed at six feet tall, Dean's Kaitlyn Anderson was a force all match and particularly in the third set when she led her team to a 2-1 lead.

Right when it looked like the Lady Saints may have been out of gas, they just kept on fighting. The fourth set was neck and neck, tied at 17-17 when CSJ head coach Fe Costa called a crucial timeout. When they returned to play, CSJ went on an 8-2 run, winning the fourth set 25-19 and making the match even at two sets apiece.

In the final set the Lady Saints jumped out to an early 8-5 lead. With the crowd going wild, the Bulldogs were able to keep their composure and chip away at the deficit. The score would eventually become 13-13 and the whole building was on pins and needles. Unfortunately for CSJ, they gave up two points in a row to Dean and the match was over.

Though they lost, the Lady Saints put forth their best effort of the season, coming as close as possible to winning the match. They played together and stuck with the game plan even when things were not going their way. They will look to implement the same type of effort and performance going forward.

The Lady Saints travel to SUNY Delhi on Oct. 5 at 6 p.m.