Galloway, NJ – The Montclair State volleyball team's bid for a third New Jersey Athletic Conference championship was dashed away on Saturday as the second-seeded Red Hawks fell to top-seeded Stockton University.

The now eight-time NJAC champion Ospreys took the match 25-16, 25-18, 25-10 to claim the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.

Junior COURTNEY MATLOCK had nine kills for MSU, which finished its season at 18-14. The Red Hawks were making their first conference championship game appearance since 2009 when it also fell to Stockton.

Stockton jumped out to a 4-0 lead and led 7-2 before Montclair closed the gap to 11-9. The Ospreys added the next three points but kills by Matlock and DANIELLE MURRAY pulled the Red Hawks within 14-11. Stockton collected four of the next five points to widen the lead to 20-11 and led 23-12 following a service error by Montclair. The teams traded the next five points before Shannon Clark closed out the set with a kill as the Ospreys took the one-set lead.

Falling behind in the second set, a six-point Montclair State run got the Red Hawks within 13-11 on a kill by NIKKI SENOPOULOS. Stockton responded with a four-point spurt which was countered by MSU five-point swing, the last on a Senopoulos ace making the score 17-16. Matlock put down a kill to put the score at 19-17 in favor of Stockton before the Ospreys ripped off five straight points. REBECCA MATASKER held off the set with a kill however Macy Schwartz nailed down the final point for Stockton which took a two-set lead.

Stockton registered eight of the first nine points in the third set and later led 19-7 following a five-point run. Stephanie Kovacs finished off the match with a kill on championship point.

Senopoulos and Matasker had four kills apiece for Montclair State with KIMBERLY MATLOCK recording 19 assists. Libero DANIELLE OLCESE led MSU with 11 digs with Senopoulos and Kim Matlock collecting nine and seven, respectively.