NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Yeshiva University women's volleyball team opened the 2017 season with a hard-fought three-set loss to the City College of New York, at the ARC Arena on Sunday afternoon. Game scores were 25-23, 25-18, and 25-10.

Senior middle blocker Gavriela Colton and freshman middle blocker Tehilla Teigman led the Maccabees' (0-1) attack with six kills each, with the former adding an assist and a dig, while the latter helped out on defense with two blocks and three digs. Senior setter Yael Ghelman had a team-high seven assists and added four digs with three kills.

Yeshiva got off to a strong start in the first game, as Colton slammed home a kill to put Yeshiva up, 6-3. After CCNY (1-1) took the lead, 14-13, YU responded with a 6-1 run that was capped off by senior outside hitter Dalia Sieger's service ace, to put the home team up by a score of 19-14. The Beavers scored four unanswered points to pull to within one, but a kill by Colton helped propel Yeshiva to a 21-18 advantage. CCNY would take over the opening set by scoring seven of the game's last nine points to win the first set, 25-23.

The Maccabees did not allow the Beavers to carry momentum into the second set, as Teigman produced a kill to put YU up, 6-5. After City College took a 7-6 advantage, Ghelman and Teigman each recorded a kill to catapult Yeshiva to a 9-7 lead. Later in the game, Colton kept CCNY's defense honest by slamming home another kill to make it 12-10 in favor of the Maccabees. However, the Beavers once again rallied, this time going on a 9-1 run, to go up 20-15. Yeshiva could not counter with a run of its own as City College went on to win the second set, 25-18, to put YU on the brink.

For the third game in a row, Yeshiva got off to a strong start as a kill by Ghelman gave the home team a 6-3 advantage. However, the Beavers executed their biggest rally of the afternoon by going on a 22-4 run to win the third set, 25-10, and clinch the match.  

For the contest, sophomore libero Sarah Leah Zians led the way on defense with a team-high nine digs. Senior outside hitter Emily Neckonoff and Sieger each added eight digs of their own, while senior setter Esther Alexander produced five digs, one block, and added a kill.

Yeshiva will be back in action on Tuesday, for its Skyline Conference opener at the United States Merchant Marine Academy, beginning at 7:00 p.m.