NEWBURGH, NY -- The women's volleyball team traveled to Orange County to participate in a tri-match hosted by Mount St. Mary on Saturday afternoon. In the first match of the day, the Bloodhounds squared off against Mount Saint Vincent, whom they defeated in three sets (25-23, 25-23, 25-12). Later on in the afternoon, John Jay was defeated by host Mount St. Mary in four sets (25-23, 25-27, 25-11, 26-24). Following the tri-match, the Bloodhounds are now 6-2 (1-0 CUNYAC) so far in 2022. 

In game one of the doubleheader, John Jay really needed to work to earn the victory. The Bloodhounds escaped with 25-23 wins in both of the first two sets, setting the tone for the rest of the match. In the first set, the Bloodhounds led by as much as five, but the Dolphins rallied back to even up the score at 22 a piece. Sophomore Faith Harer would smash a kill on two of the next four rallies, along with a service ace from Kristin Gretener, to help secure a John Jay win. Meanwhile, set two went down almost the exact opposite way of set one. This time, Mount Saint Vincent held a late lead, 20-16, but a 7-0 Bloodhound run sparked by a monster block from sophomores Johnelle Pierre and Rylea Sandel put John Jay in position to secure the set. Heading into set three, the Dolphins seemed to be out of gas and John Jay coasted to a 25-12 victory to sweep the match. 

The Bloodhounds looked to make it a perfect 2-0 on the day a couple hours later when they took on Mount St. Mary. In an incredibly hard-fought match, the Knights were able to come out on top, 3-1. After just barely dropping set one, 25-23, John Jay came back with a vengeance in set two. In a back-and-forth affair, both teams found themselves at a deadlocked 24-24 tie. A kill from sophomore Amanda Marte put the Bloodhounds in great position, but the Knights answered back with a kill to tie it at 25. Sophomore Paige Sadowitz regained momentum for John Jay with a massive kill, and an attack error on the next rally gave John Jay the win and evened up the match at 1-1. Mount St. Mary rode that momentum into set three and stole it by a score of 25-11. The Bloodhounds once again tried to punch back in set four, but this time the Knights were able to fend off the comeback attempt and came away with a 26-24 victory to win the match. 

Harer had an incredible day, securing a double-double in both matches. In game one, she collected 10 kills and 10 digs, and went on to snag 11 kills and a career-high 19 digs in game two. Marte notched 10 kills in game one, while Sandel smashed 10 kills in game two. Sophomore Meghan Smith combined for 55 assists across both games, while adding a career-high seven service aces in game one and notching a double-double in game two with 11 digs. Sadowitz had an impressive all-around day, combining for nine kills, five service aces, four total blocks, and 12 digs across both games. Gretener had 13 digs in game one, while sophomore Taylor Hunt had 14 in game two. 

The Bloodhounds return to the court on Tuesday, September 27 when they will travel to Pennsylvania to take on Cairn University. First serve is set for 7 p.m.