Volleyball Defeats Elms in Five Sets

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Ciara Perez (Manchester, Conn.) had 15 kills, 16 digs and five aces as the University of Saint Joseph volleyball team defeated Elms in a grueling five-set match Tuesday night at the O'Connell Center.

Twice Saint Joseph took one-set leads, only to have Elms come back tie it. Scores by set were: 25-11, 21-25, 28-26, 20-25, 15-12.

Amanda Dondero (Mastic, N.Y.) had nine kills for the Blue Jays and Emily Vigue (Lebanon, Conn.) had seven kills and 18 digs. Megan Williams (Lakeville, Conn.) had 24 assists for USJ.

In the third set, Saint Joseph fought off a set point at 25-24 when a kill from Dondero kept USJ alive. After Elms then also survived set point, Saint Joseph senior Katelyn Morency (Vernon, Conn.) served up an ace to close out the set.

Saint Joseph trailed only briefly in the final set, the last time at 3-2, but it was closely contested. The matched ended when Rebecca DiPinto (Burlington, Conn.) put away a feed from Williams.

"The team played great today," Saint Joseph coach Dejshona George said. "It's nice to see them rally together and fight to win a five-set battle. It's a great win for us."

Saint Joseph improved to 2-8 overall; Elms dropped to 0-9.

Saint Joseph plays at Daniel Webster, Thur. Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.