Mahwah, NJ - The Montclair volleyball team are champions once again. The Red Hawks knocked off top-seeded Ramapo in four sets to claim the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship at the Bradley Center on Saturday evening.

MSU (26-8) will continue the greatest season in program history after avenging a earlier loss this season to the Roadrunners (24-5) - 25-20, 25-21, 22-25, 25-16 to claim an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship. Both the conference title and national tournament berth are the first for MSU since 2007. It was also Montclair's third NJAC championship overall (1997, 2007, 2016). 

The Red Hawks will learn their NCAA fate on Monday, November 7 when the entire field is announced in a live selection show on NCAA.com.

Junior HAYLEY MERRILL posted a double-double with 19 kills and 13 digs while senior COURTNEY MATLOCK had 16 kills. REBECCA MATASKER chipped in with eight kills and six blocks and MADISON MAUTE added eight kills and three blocks. Sophomore ASHLEY GRIFFITH totaled 47 assists along with 10 digs and NATALIA MAJKUT put eight blocks along with four kills. APRIL DIANGELO led MSU with 26 digs.

Montclair trailed 10-4 in the opening set, but reeled off a nine-point run to take a 13-4 advantage. Maute and Majkut combined on a block for a 20-14 lead and an Olcese service ace put the Red Hawks one point away from taking the opening set. Matlock provided that with her fifth kill as Montclair won 25-20.

Ramapo and MSU would split the first 20 points of the second set before Majkut had a kill and combined with Matakser on a block for a 12-10 lead. A three-point run extended the lead to 16-12 with back-to-back kills from Merrill making the score 23-18. Majkut and Maute teamed up for a block and, after a Roadrunner point, a Ramapo attack error gave MSU the 2-0 set lead with the 25-21 win.

After Ramapo took the third set, the two were in another tussle in the fourth when Montclair made a decisive run to take control. Leading 11-9, the Red Hawks took advantage of several attack errors and a kill from Majkut for a 17-9 advantage. The Roadrunners got two back, but a five-point run by Montclair, the last two on kills by Merrill pushed the lead to 22-11. Maute provided the final point with her final kill as MSU captured the title with a 25-16 win.

The Red Hawks run to its NJAC championship was eerily reminiscent of its run nine years ago. MSU went 6-2 in the conference in 2007 with its losses coming to Stockton and New Jersey City, the latter going unbeaten in league play and earning the top seed. After winning its first-round tournament game at home, Montclair went on the road and upset Stockton in five sets in the semifinals, exactly like it did on Thursday.

Montclair State then went back on the road to the top seed and posted a four-set triumph to win the NJAC title – just like it did on Saturday.