Bergen Volleyball Edges Middlesex in Five-Set Thriller

PARAMUS, N.J. – The Bergen Community College women's volleyball team rallied in a back-and-forth battle to defeat Middlesex College, 3-2 (23-25, 25-16, 22-25, 25-18, 16-14), on Tuesday evening inside the Bulldog Gym. With the victory, Bergen improves to 5-5 overall (4-5 in region play), while Middlesex drops to 2-5.

Sophomore Julia Semon powered the Bergen offense with a team-high 10 kills and added six service aces to finish with 16 points. Freshman Daniela Cardona followed with a strong all-around performance, tallying eight kills, 16 digs, and two aces.

At the service line, the Bulldogs excelled, racking up 28 aces as a team, led by Hailey Peña's eight and Valentina Botero's five. Setter Angela Korca orchestrated the attack with 18 assists and chipped in four aces and nine digs.

Defensively, Bergen stood tall with 80 total digs, anchored by Peña (15), Cardona (16), and Botero (10). At the net, Grace Dumont added three solo blocks to spark momentum during key stretches of the match.

After dropping the opening set 25-23, the Bulldogs stormed back in the second behind aggressive serving to even the score. Middlesex regained control in the third, but Bergen responded with a dominant fourth set, forcing a decisive fifth. In a nail-biting finale, Bergen held off a late charge to clinch the victory, 16-14.