PATCHOGUE, NY - As the season winds down, the Yeshiva University Men's Volleyball team traveled to Long Island to face conference opponent St. Joseph's University Long Island Golden Eagles. Despite their efforts, the team fell short, dropping the match 3-0 on Tuesday, March 25th.

Jonathan Werta and Massimo Bertini had strong performances for the Macs, with Werta leading the team with five kills and Bertini adding two of his own.

Setter Amiti Trabelsi continued to excel on both ends of the court, tallying a team-high eight assists and four digs. Middle blocker Ari Shklyar also contributed defensively, recording the Macs' lone block of the night.

With the loss the Macs are now 1-22, 0-14 in conference play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Set one began with a quick 7-0 run by the Golden Eagles. Yeshiva struggled to find their rhythm, with the Golden Eagles continuing to show out offensively. The Macs finally broke the streak after a service error by St. Joseph's, and Gabe Simon-Hakalir found the scoreboard with a well-placed kill from Werta. Yeshiva tried to build momentum with a kill from Werta, but the Golden Eagles responded swiftly to extend their lead to 10-4. Yeshiva found a brief spark when Werta and Trabelsi connected again, followed by a tough block from Shklyar — the Macs' only block of the set — but St. Joseph's refused to let them close the gap pushing ahead even further, making it 15-6. St. Joseph's defense held strong, forcing attack errors from Yeshiva's Aden Frohlich, who faced back-to-back blocks. The Golden Eagles capitalized on these mistakes, widening the lead to 22-8. Despite a late effort from Yeshiva, including missteps from St. Joseph's the Golden Eagles stayed composed. The Golden Eagles sealed the set with a decisive kill, giving St. Joseph's a 25-9 first-set victory.
   
• St. Joseph's University Long Island carried their momentum into the second set, jumping to an early 3-0 lead. Yeshiva struggled to respond, with an attack error extending the Golden Eagles' lead. Bertini briefly halted the run with a clean kill, but St. Joseph's defense quickly regrouped to push the score to 12-1. Yeshiva tried to regain their footing, with Bertini adding another kill, but the Golden Eagles stayed in command. The Macs found a brief spark when Werta put down a kill and Menachem Solomon's efforts forced two attack errors from St. Joseph's, cutting the deficit to 18-5. However, the Golden Eagles stayed poised, closing out the set on a final Yeshiva miscue, 25-7.
   
• Set three was similar as St. Joseph's Long Island came out strong again with a quick 2-0 lead. A service error opened the door for Yeshiva, but a misfired attack and a block tied things up at 3-3. But the Golden Eagles were able to strike again stretching the lead to 6-3. Yeshiva responded with a quick kill from Osen, but St. Joseph's fired back and capitalized on Yeshiva's errors, building the lead to 11-4. Werta and the Macs tried to fight back, forcing a few attack errors and grabbing points to close the gap to 11-7. Despite Yeshiva's efforts — including a clean kill from Frohlich and a smart play from Werta — the Golden Eagles were able to bring the score to 20-12. Yeshiva made a last push, with Werta and Trabelsi landing late kills, but a service error at 23-13 gave St. Joseph's match point and then sealing the set 25-13 and the 3-0 sweep for the Golden Eagles.
   

MAC LEADERS

• Kills: Werta (5), Trabelsi (2), Bertini (2)
• Assists: Trabelsi (8), Werta (2), Rubin (2)
• Digs: Trabelsi (4), Bertini (3), Rubin (2)
• Blocks: Shklyar (1)

 
UP NEXT
The Macs are back in action as they travel to Jersey City for a tri-match against the New Jersey City University Gothic Knights and the Sarah Lawrence Gryphons. The first serve is set for 10:00am on Sunday, March 30^th.