Farmingdale State - 3; St. Joseph's-Long Island 2 (20-25, 22-25, 25-21, 26-24, 15-4)
PATCHOGUE, N.Y. | Timely kills late in the match by senior outside hitter Cathleen Farrell (Bayport, N.Y.), including the go-ahead kill in extra time in the fourth set and four more in the deciding fifth set Thursday night at the Danzi Athletic Center, helped the Farmingdale State College volleyball to complete the reverse sweep and earn its eighth-consecutive victory with a 3-2, Skyline Conference decision at St. Joseph's University-Long Island (20-25, 22-25, 25-21, 26-24, 15-4).
Farrell led all players with 15 kills and 16.5 points to go with a match-high-tying 15 digs for the Rams (9-7, 6-1 Skyline), who remain in a three-way tie in the loss column at the top of the conference standings. Junior Kalena Ricketts (Cambria Hts., N.Y.) hit .458 on a 13-2-24 attacking line to go with two assisted blocks, while senior outside and reigning Skyline Player of the Week, Kate Flamio (E. Islip, N.Y.) added a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs. Sophomore middle Mikayla Profeta (Knoxville, Tenn.) scored in double-figure points (9 k, 2 ba, 1 sa) for the third-straight outing, with setters Danielle Marullo (Fr.; Patchogue, N.Y.) and Lexi Cavalieri (Sr.; Lake Grove, N.Y.) dishing 21 and 20 assists, respectively, in a FSC offense that hit .175 on the night. Reigning Skyline Libero of the Week, senior Madisyn Pozo (Bayside, N.Y.) tied with Farrell for the match-high with 15 digs in the back row.
After the host Golden Eagles (10-8, 4-2) took the first two sets by five and three-point margins, respectively, Farmingdale State battled back with a four-point win in set three behind a .290 hitting percentage (13-4-31) and four kills from Ricketts.
The Rams fell behind by three points early in set four, before holding four-point leads as late as 24-20. St. Joseph's battled back to knot the set at 24-all, before Farrell put her side ahead for good on a sideout kill out of a timeout. Flamio and Profeta then registered the set-winning block off of Pozo's subsequent serve, sending FSC to a deciding fifth set for the first time in 2022.
It was all FSC in the final stanza, as Flamio's seven straight serves put the visitors in front with a commanding 8-1 margin. Following a sideout by the Golden Eagles, Farrell's third kill of the frame set the stage for four-straight Rams points off of Pozo's serving to put the set out of reach.
Head coach Kellie Block's Farmingdale State team is back in Skyline action Monday night (Oct. 17), when they play host to Old Westbury in the Walter A. Lynch Sports Center. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.