BY JASON POMBO // Oct. 19, 2016 //

The women’s volleyball team dominated non-conference St. Joseph University with a decisive sweep. The Colonels improved to 9-10, while the Blue Jays fell to 10-12.

St. Joe’s began the first set with a 2-0 lead, but it was all downhill from there. Curry soon after went on a 4-0 run led by sophomore Grace Stafford. Stafford made her presence known, and was difficult to stop.

The Blue Jays made it interesting mid-way through the set when they took a 13-12 lead. The Colonels answered the attack and soon took a 22-16 lead. This stretch was dominated by junior Nicole Rice. She led Curry with 5 blocks and they began to pull away and eventually won the first set by a score of 25-17.

Similar to the first set, St. Joe’s jumped out to an early lead. They started the set with an 8-5 advantage, thanks in part to junior Hannah Lemek, who ended the game with nine total kills, a Blue Jay’s best. Senior Cassandra Grimaldi also gave the Colonels some trouble as she tallied up seven kills, and gave St. Joe’s a 15-12 lead midway through the middle set.

Once again, Rice soon took over the set and swung the momentum back on Curry’s side. Senior Makayla Hughs provided a few great serves to take the lead 23-21. The Colonels held on to win the set by a 25-22 score, thanks to a late ace by senior Nicole Grambley.

The third set was very streaky by both sides. Curry started the set on fire, jumping out to a 7-1 lead. They looked like they would soon cruise to an easy victory. The Blue Jays soon fought back, clawing to stay afloat. They went on a 6-0 run to tie the set at 7, and the cruise was delayed.

The Colonels soon regained the lead with stellar defensive kills and jumped out in front of St. Joe’s 18-11. Freshman Caroline Kilduff provided a spark during the run with a pair of kills; eventually putting the deficit too far out of reach for St. Joe’s, making the final score 25-17.

After the game, head coach Elizabeth Morris was very proud of her team’s progress over the last few games. She noted that “They were playing together, and the communication was much better.”

Changing of the Winds: The Colonels have now won their third game out of their last four tries after going on a four-game skid.

Grace the Great: Grace Stafford led the game finishing with 14 kills on 30 total attacks. That helped solidify her mark in the conference as she now sits eighth overall, averaging 2.82 kills per set.

Conference Clash: Curry returns to action Thursday night at 6 p.m. at the Eleanor M. Katz Gymnasium, as they host conference powerhouse Wentworth Institute of Technology. They lead the conference with a 20-3 record and have won their last 7 games.