BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, NY – The St. Francis College Brooklyn men's volleyball team (1-1) earned a split of its season-opening doubleheader against Sacred Heart (1-15, 0-14 EIVA) on Tuesday. The Terriers were edged by the Pioneers in the first match in four sets. St. Francis came back and took the second match in a five-set thriller to improve to (3-1) all-time at the Genovesi Center.
The Terriers took the court for the first time in 388 days as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. St. Francis kicked-off its second season in program history by taking the second match of the day in five sets. It marked the first time in program history that the Terriers went five sets on their home court and was the fifth time in their short history that they went to a deciding set.
St. Francis was defeated in the opening match in four sets (21-25, 25-14, 18-25, 18-25). After falling in the first set, the Terriers dominated the Pioneers in the second, knocking them off, 25-14. From there, Sacred Heart rallied to take the third and fourth sets to pick up its first victory of the season.
St. Francis bounced back in a big way in the second match of the day as it earned its first win of the 2021 campaign in five thrilling sets (22-25, 25-19, 25-22, 24-26, 15-11). The Terriers went down in the first set, but came right back to capture the second and third sets, respectively. The Pioneers evened the match up at two sets apiece after they narrowly took the fourth set, 25-18. St. Francis used a valiant effort to come out victorious in the fifth set, 15-11, to pick up their first win of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Match 1: St. Francis Brooklyn – 1 | Sacred Heart – 3 (21-25, 25-14, 18-25, 18-25)
- Sophomore opposite hitter David Vorfi led the Terriers with 12 kills. He tallied 14.5 points, four digs, and two service aces in his season debut. It was the fourth time in his career that he registered 10 or more kills in a match.
- Sophomore outside hitter Johnny Ferraro finished with 10 kills and four digs as he totaled 10 points in the contest.
- Sophomore setter Andrew Piloto dished out 34 assists and picked up seven digs.
- Sophomore libero Dominick Pikura recorded 10 digs, which marked the sixth time in his career that he registered 10 or more digs in a match.
- Sophomore middle blocker James Henneberry picked up where he left off his freshman year as he was a steady force in the middle for the Terriers. Henneberry hit .313 and racked up seven kills.
- Sophomore outside hitter Bartek Zielinski hit .333, registered six kills, and four digs.
- Freshman middle blocker Juan Marin, outside hitter Aramis Rodriguez, setter Matt Mongin, and middle blocker Sean Schmutz all made their collegiate debuts in the match.
Match 2: St. Francis Brooklyn – 3 | Sacred Heart – 2 (22-25, 25-19, 25-22, 24-26, 15-11)
- The Terriers were paced by a balanced offensive attack en route to the five-set win in the second match. Sophomore opposite hitter Christian Prayer led the way for St. Francis in his debut. The sophomore finished with a match-high 18 kills and 21 points in the win. In addition, Prayer recorded a pair of service aces and seven digs.
- Ferraro hit a blistering .371 and tallied a career-high tying 16 kills. Ferraro had seven digs and a solo block to go along with his 16 kills.
- Rodriguez came on strong for the Terriers in the second match of the day as he collected nine kills, two service aces, and eight digs in his second collegiate match.
- Piloto paced the Terriers' offensive attack once again as he handed out 50 assists. He was just one assist shy from tying his career-high of 51, which he set last season as a freshman. The setter added eight digs and a kill over five sets.
- Senior libero Derrick Truong was solid on the defensive end for the Terriers as he recorded a career-high tying 13 digs.
- Henneberry and Schmutz were strong in the middle. Henneberry hit .267 and tallied six kills. Schmutz finished with four kills, five block assists, and hit .250 as he earned his first career start.
UP NEXT:
The Terriers are back in action on Friday, April 2, when they host Daemen at 4:30 p.m. The match will broadcast on NECFrontRow.com.
