Union, NJ – The Montclair State University volleyball team (19-6, 7-1 NJAC) secured their 11th win in row and the second seed in the upcoming New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament when they outlasted conference foe Kean, 3-2 in a five-set showdown on Tuesday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Both teams exchanged a pair of points before Kean scored four unanswered for a 6-2 advantage early. The Red Hawks found another duo of points that included a kill from RACHEL CURRAN before a massive 10-1 swing gave the Cougars a commanding 16-5 lead. Both teams exchanged points before Kean found another four straight points for a 22-9 lead. Montclair tried to fight back with a 4-1 run to cut the lead to 23-13 that included a block from SOFIA DIPROFIO and EMILY CARCICH and kills from LILY THOMAS and DiProfio. Kean eventually took set one for a 25-14 win.
- The Cougars jumped out to a 4-1 lead and then a 6-3 lead before Montclair battled back to 7-7 tie with a 4-1 run of their own that included two kills from DiProfio, a kill from CAMRYN MUUSS and a service ace from KASEY TRZASKA. The Red Hawks eventually took a 10-9 advantage, but an 8-2 swing for the Cougars gave them back control of the set with a 17-12 edge. Montclair fought back hard again to get them to an even 19-19 score with a 7-2 run that sawt kills from Curran and Muus, a service ace from BRYN BAUTISTA and a shared block from Thomas and SARAH CAPONE. Both teams battled back-and-forth and almost saw the set go into extra points but it was Kean once again that held on for a 25-23 victory in set two.
- Set three kicked off as competitive as they come, seeing three lead changes and four tied scores up to a 9-8 Montclair advantage. Kean put together the first real run of the set right after, notching six unanswered points to hold a 14-9 edge. The lead was cut to a 17-14 Kean lead before Montclair used a 5-1 run to swing the set in their favor for a 18-17. Muuss and Thomas both saw two kills and a shared block on that run. Both teams shared a few points before Montclair took their first set of the match with a final run of 5-1 to capture set three, 25-21. The final run saw three kills from Bautista.
- The fourth set was once again a battle with both sides having three ties and three lead changes up to a 10-10 stalemate. Montclair took a 14-13 advantage before Kean fired back with four unanswered points for a 17-14 edge. A 5-2 run for the Red Hawks tied the contest up again at 19-19 and saw kills from Curran and Bautista and an assisted block from Carcich and Thomas. After a Cougars block, the Red Hawks swung the set in their favor with a 6-2 run to close out the set and force a set five for a 25-22 win.
- The final set worked its way up to a 3-3 tie, but Montclair sparked a 6-1 run to a 9-4 lead that saw two kills from Curran and kills from Bautista and Carcich. Each team exchanged a kill and it was Montclair who then finished off Kean with a 5-1 run to complete the reverse sweep for a 15-7 triumph. The final run saw two kills from Bautista and a kill from EMMA HATCHER.
Inside the Numbers
- Montclair continues to chase the programs longest win streak of 13-straight wins with their 11th straight win that dates back to October 1.
- Bautista led the way with a career-high 19 kills during tonight's contest. That surpassed her career high that she set against Rowan with 15.
- Carcich had 49 assists in tonight's match. That was her second highest total of the season behind her 53 assists that she had against Clarkson on September 13.
UP NEXT
Montclair State will play host to receiving votes New York University on Friday, November 8 in the Panzer Athletic Center. That match is scheduled for a 7:00pm start time.
