Box Score New York, N.Y. (March 23, 2013)—Brad Borsay (Richmond, RI) registered a match-high 18 kills as the Sacred Heart fell to the Baruch Bearcats 3-1 Saturday afternoon.
The first set was the closest of the day as the Pioneers were able to edge the Bearcats 25-23. The SHU offense combined for 17 total kills compared to Baruch's seven. Even with a lack of offense by the Bearcats neither team ever lead by more than three points. With the set tied at 22-22, the Pioneers got consecutive kills from Raymond Sagataj (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and Jason Kinney (Salem, N.H.) to earn set point and force a Baruch time out. A final kill by Jose Juelle (Guaynabo, PR) gave the Pioneers a 1-0 match lead.
The Pioneers again edged the Bearcats 12 kills to 10, but were unable to take the second set as Baruch leveled the match 1-1. The Bearcats built a 15-12 lead before a six-point service run increased the gap to 21-12. The Pioneers were unable to recover and a SHU hitting error ended the set 25-18.
The third set was a closer battle as SHU was able to tie the set at 16 before another Baruch service run made the score 19-16. Several Pioneer hitting errors prevented a comeback as the Bearcats cruised to a 25-19 victory taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
The final set was plagued with service errors as the Pioneers missed 8-of-23. Despite this the Pioneers kept the last set close with eight ties and four lead changes. Sacred Heart found itself with a three-point lead at 20-17, but Baruch rallied to tie the match at 21. A three-point service run by the Bearcats gave them match point at 24-21. The Pioneers dodged one match point, but the last of eight service errors ended the match 3-1.
