UB Volleyball: Senior Night

After a devastating loss at NYIT, the Purple Knights came out ready to play, posting a shutout against out-of-conference foe, American International College. But this game was a special night for UB; it was senior night, and this meant some serious play by graduating seniors. In the first game, UB came out very strong, catapulted by their great defense on the front line, and the masterful serving by all the members of the Purple Knight squad. Early in the second match, UB jumped out to an early 12-6 lead with powerful kills by Jessica Bornack, and senior leadership by Sinead Quirk. AIC however, refused to give up; they came back to cut the lead to within two points, 14-12. As the game carried on it was team defense, clutch blocks, and timely digs that kept Bridgeport in the lead. After an AIC timeout, UB gained some momentum by scoring eight unanswered points, a lead that they would hold for the rest of the game. The Purple Knights were a ten-point victor, with the final score 30-20. “As well as we played tonight, we can play better next week in the tournament, and we are just as good, if not better, as any team when we walk in the NYCAC next week,” said coach Valerie Steen. By game three, fatigue was starting to show. UB capped the night with phenomenal defense by Mary Charissis and Amy Neussal. UB was led by senior Mary Charissis, who had 12 kills in the match; closely followed by Junior Jessica Bornack, who had 10 kills, and Senior Sinead Quirk, who had 37 assists for the night. Sinead’s total assists for the season now stands at 1,134, a single-season career record for her. At the end of the night, the seniors really have something that they can always look back on. But they better not look too far because they will have their talent put to the test when they meet NYCAC rival University of New Haven in the quarter final conference openers. If Bridgeport surpasses New Haven, they will advance to the NYCAC Semifinal, which will be hosted by the No. 1 ranked, Dowling College.