Blue Jays defeat Wildcats 3-1 in volleyball action

Blue Jays Deal Wildcats First Loss of the Year

EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass. – The Bay Path volleyball team started strong, winning the first set 25-20, but it couldn't keep the momentum going as it took its first loss of the season, 3-1 to the University of St. Joseph (Conn.) on Thursday evening.

With the loss the Wildcats fall to 2-1, while the Blue Jays earned their first win to improve to 1-2.

TOP PERFORMERS

·         Senior middle hitter Lauren Vallee (Bristol, Conn.) had a team-high 13 kills, while hitting .344.

·         Junior libero Joanne Nazario (Springfield, Mass.) was the Wildcats' leader defensively as she picked up a team-high 16 digs.

·         Senior outside hitter Ashlee Connors (Springfield, Mass.) was a double-digit scorer with seven kills and three service aces.

·         Junior setter Lexi Cears (Agawam, Mass.) handed out 22 assists.

FOR THE FOES

·         The Blue Jays were led offensively by Carly Ruzbasan (Torrington, Conn.), Jasmine Buckley(Beacon, N.Y.), and Hannah Lemek (Bristol, Conn.).

·         Ruzbasan was the high-scorer in the match with 15 points, 14 of those coming on her match-high kills total. She also added 13 digs for a double-double.

·         Lemek had a match-high .444 hitting percentage as she picked up eight kills on 18 attempts without an error.

·         Setter Brenna Miller (McCleary, Wash.) had a double-double with 23 assists and a 10 digs.

·         Libero Janell Molina (Honolulu, Hawaii) was the defensive leader with a match-high 18 digs.

MATCH RECAP

·         The Wildcats fell behind early in the first set, 6-2, but were able to rally back to eventually capture the lead.

·         With Cears on-serve, the Wildcats went on a 7-0 run to turn a 9-6 deficit into a 13-9 lead.

·         They would not relinquish the lead using a five-point rally, including three service aces from Connors to help close out the first set.

·         Bay Path fell behind again in the second set, but were able to battle back to tie the game at eight.

·         They would never lead in the set as USJ went on to win 25-18.

·         In the third set, the Wildcats found themselves down 24-12 before staving off seven game points to bring the score to 24-19. However, they couldn't complete the comeback and fell behind 2-1.

·         The Blue Jays closed things out in the fifth set with a 25-15 victory.

UP NEXT

Bay Path takes the court again on Saturday, Sept. 9 when it hosts MCLA and Castleton in a non-conference tri-match at First Baptist Church in East Longmeadow, Mass. starting at 10 a.m.

USJ also returns to action on Saturday for a tri-match with Emmanuel and Southern Maine. The match is hosted by Emmanuel with the Blue Jays first playing at noon.