The Terriers and Blazers found themselves in a back and forth match with both sides trading set victories prior to the finish. St. Francis came out and took the opening set, 25-20, behind a staggering seven kills from freshman opposite hitter David Vorfi. Freshman setter Andrew Piloto paced the Terriers' attack as he dished out 15 assists in the opening frame.
Elms vas victorious in the second set by the score of 25-21. Vorfi picked up right where he left off in the opening set as he tallied six kills in the second, while freshman middle blocker James Henneberry added three finishes of his own. The Terriers and Blazers traded points, until Elms went on a 4-1 run to close out the set in its favor.
St. Francis struck right back in the match as it captured the third set by the final tally of 25-22. In what was another back and forth set, Vorfi and freshman outside hitter Bartlomiej Zielinski combined for nine kills in the frame. Vorfi added to his total with five, while Zielinski totaled four of his own. Piloto had his hand in the action as he totaled 12 assists in the set.
The fourth set went to Elms by the score of 25-20, which set up a fifth and final set. It marked the first time in program history that the Terriers needed a fifth and final deciding set. St. Francis finished what it started as it took the fifth set, 15-13.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
St. Francis Brooklyn – 3 | Elms – 2 (25-20, 21-25, 25-22, 20-25, 15-13)
- Vorfi totaled a match-high 25 kills on an efficient .309 hitting in the five-set victory. He tallied his first-career double-double with 10 digs to go along with his 25 kills. The freshman accounted for 26.5 points as he also added three block assists.
- Henneberry finished with 11 kills and hit .455 from the middle as he totaled 14 points on the day. The middle blocker had a team-high four blocks (two solo, two assists).
- Zielinski registered 10 kills and seven digs, while freshman middle blocker Timothy Walsh notched six kills and five digs.
- Piloto paced the Terriers' offense with a match-high 51 assists, while freshman libero Dominick Pikura anchored the defense with 22 digs.
The Terriers are back in the Tri-state area next Saturday, February 1, when they go head-to-head with NJIT at 4 p.m., in Newark, NJ.