Danbury, CT – Freshman Karissa Smith (Bristol, CT) led all hitters with 13 kills to lead the Western Connecticut State University Volleyball team to a 3-0 win in a non-conference matchup with Montclair State University Tuesday evening at Feldman Arena.
Junior Jenny Hogan (Franklin Square, NY) led Western with 24 assists and senior Rachel Volpe (Southington, CT) had another solid defensive effort for the Colonials with 19 digs. Junior Nina Wojtkiewicz (Griswold, CT) added 17 digs and six kills.
For Montclair State, seniors Sara Girgus (Green Brook, NJ, Watchung Hills) and Marta Topor (Bogota, NJ, Bogota)led with six kills each. Junior Angela Campo (Washington Township, NJ, Westwood) led the visitors with 25 assists, and senior Kaitlyn Irwin (Cranford, NJ, Cranford) had 17 digs.
Western held a slight advantage throughout the first set, and pulled away down the stretch for a 25-19 win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
In the second set, Montclair State rushed out to an early 10-5 lead and still held a 15-10 lead when Western went on a 7-2 run to even the score at 17-17 behind the serving of senior Melanie Lombardi (Danbury, CT). With the score tied 19-all, Western went on a four-point run for a 23-19 lead and closed out the game 25-21to take a 2-0 lead.
The third set was close early with the score tied at 10-10, before Western made a run for a 15-10 lead. The Colonials maintained their momentum to close out the match, taking set three 25-15, for a 3-0 straight-sets win.
With the win, Western now stands at 21-5 on the season, while Montclair State is now 13-8.
The Red Hawks will look to get back on the winning track as it travels to Rutgers-Newark on Thursday, October 24 at 7:00 pm
