Florham, NJ (10/03/03) – The Montclair State volleyball team gained a split in a pair of matches today in the opening round of the Devils Classic held at FDU-Florham. MSU lost to St. Joseph's (Patchogue) by a 3-1 count, but bested Mt. St. Vincent by the same score. MSU is now 5-21 overall and will finish the competition in Florham tomorrow.

Montclair defeated St. Joseph's, 30-22, but then dropped the next three games (24-30, 18-30, 27-30). Junior setter JENNIFER OLAN (Jersey City, NJ/Academic) led MSU with 31 assists while sophomore defender Joanna Cortez (Paterson, NJ/East Side) collected a team-high 11 digs and senior hitter CARMEN ALVARADO (Newark, NJ/Barringer) chalked up a team-best 19 kills.

The Red Hawks rebounded to top Mt. St. Vincent in four games, winning the first one by a 30-9 count. MSU then dropped a 31-29 decision in the second game before posting 30-22 and 30-18 victories to claim the match. Olan tallied 34 assists and four service aces while Cortez posted nine digs and sophomore hitter BROOKSHIELD LAURENT (East Orange, NJ/Marylawn) paced Montclair with 17 kills.