Allentown, PA — The John Jay women's volleyball team split a pair of matches on Saturday at the Buttermaker Tournament hosted by Muhlenberg, defeating Hood College in four sets before rallying from a two-set deficit and falling just short in a five-set battle against SUNY Morrisville at Memorial Hall.
The Bloodhounds opened the day with a 3-1 victory over Hood (21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-12) before dropping a 3-2 decision to SUNY Morrisville (16-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-19, 12-15).
Emilia Cascapera powered the Bloodhounds throughout the doubleheader, totaling
48 kills across the two matches. She opened the day with 22 kills against Hood before producing a match-high 26 kills against Morrisville.
John Jay 3, Hood 1
John Jay started Saturday by overcoming an opening-set loss to defeat Hood in four sets. Cascapera led the way with 22 kills while hitting .250. She added six service aces, six digs and three total blocks for 30.5 points.
Madison Mullan was efficient at the net with seven kills and no attack errors, hitting .500 while contributing four total blocks.
Ansley Hobson recorded nine kills, 16 assists, five digs and two aces, while
Kaia Mittauer added five kills, 17 assists and eight digs.
Lizbeth Martinez anchored the back row with 10 digs and three aces, while
Heidi Geyer contributed seven digs, four assists and three aces.
Hood took control of the first set and held off John Jay late for a 25-21 victory.
The Bloodhounds responded in the second despite trailing 18-12. John Jay gradually worked its way back into the frame and evened the score at 20-20. Martinez then helped ignite a critical service run as the Bloodhounds scored four straight points, highlighted by kills from Cascapera and Hobson, to move in front. John Jay completed the comeback with a 25-21 win to even the match at one set apiece.
The Bloodhounds again found themselves facing a deficit in the third. Hood held a 20-15 advantage before John Jay flipped the set with a late surge. The Bloodhounds scored eight of the next nine points to move ahead 23-21. Cascapera delivered key kills during the comeback while Geyer helped keep the pressure on from the service line. John Jay eventually secured the frame, 25-22, to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set was all John Jay. The Bloodhounds raced out to a 6-0 advantage and never looked back. Cascapera helped fuel the early run with consecutive service aces before John Jay extended its advantage to 15-7. Leading 19-12 later in the frame, Geyer went to the service line and helped the Bloodhounds close the match with six unanswered points. Mittauer delivered the final point as John Jay completed the 25-12 set win and the four-set victory.
John Jay finished the match with 45 kills and hit .257 while holding Hood to a .165 hitting percentage. The Bloodhounds held advantages in total points, 70-59; service aces, 17-7; blocks, 8-7; assists, 43-39; and digs, 42-40.
The Bloodhounds were especially sharp in the final set, hitting .333 with 11 kills against just three attack errors.
SUNY Morrisville 3, John Jay 2
Less than two hours later, John Jay returned to the court for its final match of the tournament against a SUNY Morrisville squad that entered the contest with just one loss. Morrisville captured the first two sets before the Bloodhounds responded with consecutive victories to force a fifth.
Cascapera once again carried the offensive attack, finishing with 26 kills on 62 attempts while hitting .274. She also registered three aces, eight digs and three total blocks for another 30.5-point performance. MacInnes produced 10 kills, seven digs and three service aces, while Hobson added five kills and two aces. Mullan led the Bloodhounds at the net with five total blocks, while
Shamyra Herrera added three kills on five attempts and two blocks. Guerney finished with a team-high 20 assists, with Mittauer adding 11. Martinez recorded a match-high 18 digs and three aces.
Morrisville created separation midway through the opening set after the teams battled through the early stages. The Mustangs eventually built a 22-12 advantage before the Bloodhounds made a late push. MacInnes recorded an ace and Cascapera supplied a kill during the run, but Morrisville closed out the set, 25-16. The second frame was much tighter. Morrisville opened an 11-5 advantage, but John Jay began to chip away at the deficit. Martinez delivered consecutive aces to draw the Bloodhounds even at 17-17.
John Jay continued to battle down the stretch. MacInnes helped spark another push that brought the Bloodhounds level at 22-22, and Cascapera later recorded a kill to pull John Jay within 24-23. Morrisville answered on the ensuing point to escape with the 25-23 win and take a 2-0 match lead.
Facing the possibility of a straight-set defeat, John Jay responded immediately in the third. The Bloodhounds jumped out to a 3-0 advantage behind a Cascapera kill, a block from Herrera and MacInnes, and a Cascapera ace. John Jay maintained the advantage for much of the set before Morrisville battled back to within 22-21. Cascapera took control at the service line from there, delivering consecutive aces to cap a three-point run and give the Bloodhounds a 25-21 victory. John Jay carried the momentum into the fourth. After the score was tied at 5-5, the Bloodhounds strung together five consecutive points. Mullan and MacInnes contributed kills, Mullan added a block and Hobson recorded back-to-back service aces to push the lead to 10-5.
Morrisville attempted to work its way back into the frame, but John Jay maintained its advantage. Cascapera supplied several important kills late, including one that made it 23-19. Guerney followed with an ace before a Morrisville attack error closed out the 25-19 victory and forced the deciding set. John Jay was at its best offensively in the fourth, producing 13 kills and only three attack errors while hitting .400.
The fifth set developed into another battle early before Morrisville made its move. With the score tied at 4-4, the Mustangs used a 6-1 run to build a 10-4 advantage. John Jay again refused to go quietly. Cascapera spearheaded the comeback with four kills during the final stretch. The Bloodhounds also received a block from Cascapera and Mullan and another from Cascapera and
Anna Santos as John Jay trimmed the deficit to 13-12. Morrisville, however, secured the final two points to take the fifth set, 15-12, and escape with the match.
Despite the setback, John Jay held a 73-72 advantage in total points and finished with 16 service aces compared with 10 for Morrisville. Both teams recorded eight total blocks. The Bloodhounds finished with 49 kills while hitting .205. Morrisville totaled 54 kills and hit .235.
Isabelle Eskierka led the Mustangs with 21 kills and 12 digs, while Alexa Warner added 10 kills. Keely Shearer finished with 26 assists and 15 digs, and Kylie Hutchinson collected 23 digs.
The Bloodhounds return home to The Doghouse on Thursday, September 17 as they welcome Montclair State for a 7:00 p.m. first-serve.
