Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State volleyball team opens up its appearance in the 2018 New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday as the fourth-seeded Red Hawks host fifth-seed Rutgers-Newark at the Panzer Athletic Center.

Tickets for the game are $5 for general admission, $2 for students, children and seniors. The first 50 MSU Students with ID will receive FREE admission.

First serve of the second meeting between the teams this season is set for 7pm with the winner advancing to Thursday's semifinals at top-seeded Stockton University.

Montclair (18-9) captured the first contest with a three-set victory at the Panzer Athletic Center on October 16. Freshman LEAH HIGGINS recorded 12 kills while classmates CARLY WATERMAN and VICTORIA TENNON added nine and seven respectively as the Red Hawks took the match 25-19, 25-14 and 25-12.

Tuesday's matchup will mark the 10^th time the two meet in the NJAC Tournament with the Scarlet Raiders holding a 5-4 advantage. Rutgers-Newark claimed the first four with straight-set wins in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1996. The following year the Red Hawks earned its first conference title winning the final two sets for a thrilling 3-2 triumph.

Rutgers-Newark returned the favor in 1998 winning by the same 3-2 margin in the title contest. Montclair State has won the last three starting with a 3-0 win in 2000 and a five-set victory in 2004. The Red Hawks won the latest matchup 3-1 on its way to the 2016 NJAC crown. The Raiders lead the all-time series 24-18 however Montclair has captured 11 of the last 13 meetings.

The Raiders head into the first-round matchup at 16-10, its best win total since the 2014 season. Rutgers-Newark features three players in the top-10 in the NJAC in kills per set during league action. Senior Cassie Luken is third with 3.65 while junior Comfort Akinbo had 3.29 for fifth and freshman Sharon Starling rounded out the trio in eighth with 3.04. Sophomore Karly Gregoire ranks fourth is assists per set (8.22) and service aces per set (0.56) while junior Brione Lockett is second in the conference with 5.07 digs per set.

MSU counters with Waterman (278) and Higgins (201), who both topped the 200-kill mark for the season. Senior NATALIA MAJKUT has 172 kills along with a team-best 58 blocks. Senior ASHLEY GRIFFITH has 728 assists and became the third player in program history to surpass the 3,000 mark.

Montclair State is making its 26^th appearance in the NJAC Tournament since becoming a sport in 1989. The Red Hawks are 17-26 in that span with most of the losses coming in its infancy when the tournament was a round-robin play. Montclair has won three championships – the aforementioned 1997 title with crowns in 2007 and 2016.