Box Score BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Medgar Evers women's volleyball team nearly grabbed a first set victory, but would fall to The College of Old Westbury in straight sets (26-24, 25-13, 25-13) in an exciting matchup Tuesday night at the Cougars Cave.
For the Cougars (0-10),
Kalifa Roberts (San Fernando, Trinidad/La Romain Secondary) recorded a double-double by slamming a game-high 13 kills and 11 digs in a losing effort.
AnnMarie Bemberry (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fashion Industries) dished off a game-high 12 assists, while
Tiffany Benjamin (Guyana/Bishop Loughlin) added four kills.
The Panthers (2-3) got a team-best five kills from Rayn Brown, while Chelsea Hoffan added 10 assists along with four kills. Sofia Goris tallied five aces as the team took advantage of 28 Medgar Evers errors.
Both teams played an evenly matched first set, with Old Westbury grabbing a 9-5 lead before a Cougars timeout. They would come back and rattle off five straight points, including two service aces from
Shanice Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bedford Academy) to go up by one.
Even at 12-12, it looked like Medgar Evers would secure the victory with a 5-0 run, but the Panthers would fight back and grab a 24-21 advantage. The Cougars would not go quietly, taking advantage of a service error, an attack error, and a Benjamin kill to tie the score at 24 apiece. Despite the valiant effort, the Panthers would get a Goris kill and an attack error to close out a 26-24 set victory.
The second set started similarly to the first with both squads trading points. Leading 7-6, Old Westbury would erupt with nine straight points and take a double-digit lead at 16-6.
Medgar Evers would rally back with a raucous home crowd cheering them on. They slammed seven straight points with kills from Benjamin, and Roberts leading the way to cut the deficit to 16-13. Unfortunately, those would be the final points of the game for them, as another nine-point run would pace the Panthers to a 25-13 win.
Set three saw the Cougars fight back from an early deficit, even grabbing an 11-10 lead after six straight points. Following a Panther timeout, they would score 15 of the next 16 points to seal the match.
Medgar Evers will return to action Thursday night on the road as they take on CUNYAC foe Baruch College. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Live stats will be available on Baruch's website.
