Montclair, NJ – Junior MELISSA TERPSTRA (Midland Park, NJ / Midland Park) and COURTNEY MATLOCK (Jackson, NJ / Jackson Memorial) combined for 25 kills as Montclair State knocked off New Paltz in four sets in the season opener for both teams at the Panzer Athletic Center on Tuesday evening.

Freshman NATALIA MAJKUT (Cherry Hill, NJ / Cherry Hill East) collected seven kills and four blocks as the Red Hawks dropped the first set 25-19 before reeling wins of 25-21, 25-16 and 25-23 in the next three sets. It is Montclair's first win over the Hawks in nearly 13 years. MSU last defeated New Paltz on September 4, 2002 also in four sets.
Senior outside hitter Becca Borquist (Rhinebeck, NY / Rhinebeck) had 11 kills for the Hawks (0-1).

Anna Paulik (Wantagh, NY / Wantagh) had five kills in the first set with Borquist getting four as New Paltz hit .394 with 17 kills (4 errors). The Hawks jumped out to a 7-1 lead and took a 12-6 advantage on a kill from Paulick. Montclair State made a run getting within 18-17 however Borquist put down consecutive kills to push the lead back to 20-17. Paulick registered two more kills before Morgan Roessler (Massapequa, NY / Massapequa) gave New Paltz the one-set lead with the final point.

The Red Hawks trailed early in the second but took the lead for good at 5-4 on an ace from LILY SCANZILLO (Upper Saddle River, NJ / Northern Highlands). It was the beginning of a 11-5 run by MSU which led 15-9 after Terpstra collected a kill. The lead grew to 18-11 before New Paltz mounted a rally getting within 21-20. Terpstra and COURTNEY LEPORE (Deer Park, NY / Deer Park) combined on a huge block to give MSU some breathing room and a service error on set point tied the match at 1-1.

The teams would virtually trade the first 24 points of the third set before MSU scored four straight points to take a 16-12 advantage. It remained a four-point lead at 20-16 when Montclair closed out the set with the final four points. LePore, Courtney and KIMBERLY MATLOCK (Jackson, NJ / Jackson Memorial) each had kills in the spurt that gave Montclair State the 2-1 lead in the match.

A 5-1 run in the fourth set gave MSU a 15-11 lead however New Paltz answered with a 5-1 run of its own knotting the set at 16-16. A pair of errors by the Hawks along with a kill from MADISON MAUTE (Sparta, NJ / Sparta) led to a 20-17 advantage. New Paltz pulled within 21-20 but gave the momentum right back to Montclair following a pair of errors making the score 23-20. The Red Hawks returned the favor on the next two points as the lead went back to 23-22. KIMBERLY MATLOCK and LePore combined on a block on the next serve and after New Paltz kept the match going for one more point, COURTNEY MATLOCK drilled a shot down the line to end the match.

Maute had eight kills while KIMBERLY MATLOCK registered 36 assists. ELISE BRACKETT (Bogota, NJ / Bogota) and Scanzillo had four and three aces, respectively with Scanzillo topping all MSU players with 21 digs. LePore had four kills and seven total blocks.

Montclair State returns to action on Saturday, September 5 hosting a tri-match. The Red Hawks will face John Jay College at 11:00 am and meet Albright College at 3:00 pm. New Paltz remains on the road in the Haverford/Swarthmore Tournament facing Carnegie Mellon and Cabrini on Saturday.