Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State University volleyball team took down Vassar in four sets to kick off their 2024 season on Friday night at the Panzer Athletic Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (1-0) opened up a 7-3 advantage before the Brewers closed the gap to make it 11-10 after recording seven of the next 11 points. Montclair rattled off nine of the next 10 points, including four kills from KASEY TRZASKA and three from CAMRYN MUUSS. RACHEL CURRAN tallied three kills down the stretch of the set to seal a 25-17 win for Montclair after one.
• With the two sides level at seven in the second, Vassar embarked on a run of six-straight points and eventually built a 17-9 advantage. The Red Hawks recorded four of the next five, capped off by a kill from Trzaska. After Montclair narrowed the margin to 22-16, the Brewers collected three straight points to close out the set and level the match at one.
• Vassar jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the third set and had a 12-9 advantage approaching the halfway mark of the stanza. The Red Hawks poured in five straight points, including back-to-back kills from Muuss, to claim the lead. Montclair used a 7-1 run later in the set to build a five-point advantage, one that they would not relinquish.
• Trailing 9-4 in the fourth, the Brewers closed the gap with four of five points to make it a two-point set. Later in the frame, Montclair put together four consecutive points, including two attack errors from Vassar, to build an eight-point lead. The visitors could only get as close as five the rest of the way, as the Red Hawks sealed the home victory to kick off the campaign.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• The Red Hawks have tallied a win in their season opener in each of the last three seasons.
• Muuss led the way for Montclair with 17 kills in her collegiate debut. Trzaska notched 13 kills and 14 digs in her first game for the Red Hawks, with BRYN BAUTISTA recording 11 kills and 15 digs in her first collegiate contest.
• KATIE RODMAN tallied a game-high 19 digs for the Red Hawks.
• EMILY CARCICH handed out 41 assists on the night.

FROM THE FIELD

"It was great to open the 2024 season with a win at home. Very proud with our effort tonight and working through some ups and downs in the second set. We did a great job staying in the moment and competing against a solid Vassar team. We had great performances from first year players CAMRYN MUUSS, KASEY TRZASKA, and BRYN BAUTISTA. It's a quick turnaround against a strong UMass Dartmouth team and we look forward to building from our game tonight." - Head Coach Eduardo Stawinski

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will host UMass Dartmouth at 11:00 AM and FDU-Florham at 5:00 PM on Saturday, August 30 at the Panzer Athletic Center in day two of their opening weekend tournament.