BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Yeshiva University men's volleyball team suffered a heartbreaking Skyline Conference loss to St. Joseph's College Brooklyn, in five sets, at the Hill Center on Thursday evening. Yeshiva won the first two games, but the Bears won the latter three frames to earn the come-from-behind victory. Set scores were 22-25, 15-25, 25-21, 25-21, and 15-13.

The Maccabees (3-13, 2-7 Skyline) still hold possession of the fourth and final playoff spot in the Skyline Conference standings.

For the match, junior outside hitter Chaim Aryeh Rubin produced a double-double with a match-high 13 kills to go along with 11 digs. He also scored three service aces and produced just as many blocks. Sophomore opposite hitter Derek Orenshein had a strong game defensively, leading all players with a career-high 25 digs, and added eight kills on the attack. Junior libero Gavriel Hizami had a personal-best 17 digs, while freshman setter Isaac Pomerance led the Maccabees with 29 assists.

The Bears (1-13, 1-4 Skyline) jumped out to an early 6-2 lead in the opening set. The Maccabees would rally, as a kill by Rubin propelled Yeshiva to the lead, 13-12. Later in the set, St. Joseph's Brooklyn regained the lead, 17-16. Yeshiva countered with three straight points to once again earn the advantage. The Maccabees eventually earned a set-point opportunity, at 24-22. Rubin wasted no time, as he received a feed from Orenshein and slammed home a kill to put the Blue and White up, 1-0, in the match.

YU fell behind, 5-3, in the second set, but back-to-back kills by freshman outside hitter Joseph Sulaymanov and classmate Jonathan Apsan sparked a 4-1 run to give the Macs the advantage. With the match tied, 12-12, Yeshiva tilted the momentum into its favor by scoring seven unanswered points to take a commanding lead. The highlight in that rally was Sulaymanov, Apsan, and Rubin each scoring a kill, while Orenshein landed a service ace. The Maccabees finished the second set strong, scoring the last four points, thanks to Rubin, Sulaymanov, and Apsan combining for three straight kills. Yeshiva took a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.

The Bears would start the third set off strong by taking a 16-12 lead. Yeshiva countered with four unanswered points, capped off by Rubin's service ace, to tie the game. With the match even, 21-21, St. Joseph's Brooklyn scored four straight points to win its first set and stay alive in the contest.

In the fourth game, Rubin produced an ace to tie the set, 13-13. After the Bears regained the lead, 17-16, the Maccabees scored four straight points to go up, 20-17. St. Joseph's answered with four straight points of its own to retake the lead. Pomerance's kill temporarily halted the opposition's momentum and tied the match, but the Bears once again ended the set with four straight points to even the match at two games apiece. The fifth and deciding game was needed to determine the winner.

Yeshiva fell behind, 6-4, in the rubber set. However, Sulaymanov and Orenshein each produced a kill to spark the Macs' 6-1 run, giving the Blue and White a 10-7 advantage. After the Bears scored two straight points, Orenshein broke through the home team's defense with a kill, extending Yeshiva's lead to 11-9.  After St. Joseph's Brooklyn rallied to tie the game, 12-12, Rubin produced a kill to allow YU to regain the lead. However, the Bears scored three unanswered points to cap off a thrilling come-from-behind Skyline victory in five sets.

For the evening, junior outside hitter Amitai Miller anchored the defense with 10 digs, while Sulaymanov had seven kills. Sophomore middle blocker Yosef Ajami added eight digs with a pair of service aces, while Pomerance produced six digs of his own. Apsan had three kills, while senior middle blocker David Fattakhov had just as many digs.

Yeshiva will return to the friendly confines of the Max Stern Athletic Center on Sunday, for a non-conference match against the College of Staten Island, beginning at 1:00 p.m. It will be senior day, as Yeshiva University will honor graduating senior Fattakhov with a ceremony prior to the match.