New Paltz, NY – The Montclair State University volleyball team swept a tri-match against New Paltz and Clark on Saturday afternoon.

The Red Hawks (23-4) took down New Paltz in four sets before sweeping Clark to end the day.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• New Paltz built a 6-3 advantage in the early stages of the opening set, but the Red Hawks countered with seven of the next 10 points, headlined by a pair of kills from both CAMRYN MUUSS and BRYN BAUTISTA, to gain the lead. After the Hawks nudged back out in front, 12-11, Montclair rattled off five of the next six to build a three-point lead. With a back-and-forth battle, the two sides sat tied at 23 late before Muuss notched two more kills to claim the opening stanza.
• The Red Hawks raced out to a 4-1 lead in the second frame before New Paltz climbed back to level the contest at seven. Following a service error from the Hawks, LUCY CORNELIUS tallied a pair of service aces to push the advantage back to three. With the set even at 11, Montclair tallied five of the next seven on two kills from Muuss and later pushed the score to 18-14. New Paltz chipped away at the margin to tie the two sides at 24, but three errors from the home side over the final four points sealed the stanza in favor of the Red Hawks.
• Montclair vaulted out in the third set with the first six points, including three kills from Bautista and two from LILY THOMAS. An extended 13-5 run from the Hawks tilted the set in their favor, as they took a 18-13 edge in the latter stages. The two sides traded the next seven points before New Paltz tallied a pair to go up 23-17. The combination of Cornelius and Bautista led a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to two, and Montclair would eventually trim it to one before the Hawks ended the frame.
• New Paltz held a slim 6-5 edge in the opening moments of the fourth, but an 8-2 run from Montclair pushed the visitors in front by five. The Hawks countered with a pair of kills before Montclair rattled off eight in a row to surge out to an 11-point lead. New Paltz trimmed the margin to 21-13, but a pair of errors followed by an EMMA HATCHER service ace and kill from Muuss locked in the victory for the Red Hawks.
• In the day's second match, Montclair accumulated the opening seven points, including a pair of service aces from Bautista. Clark trimmed the game to 8-5, but four consecutive points from the Red Hawks increased the margin to eight. With the score 18-11 later in the frame, SOFIA DIPROFIO recorded back-to-back kills followed by a service error from the Cougars to force a timeout by Clark. Three more errors coming out of the break made it set point, but the Cougars rattled off seven in a row before a service error clinched the stanza for Montclair.
• With the second set level at five, the Red Hawks tallied four in a row on kills from DiProfio and BREANNA CRAIG. Holding a slim 13-11 lead a few points later, DiProfio, Muuss, and two errors from the Cougars pushed the margin to six. After Clark battled to 17-14, a 6-2 run from the Red Hawks ballooned the lead back to seven. The Cougars pushed back to within two on five points in a row, but Bautista finished the frame with two of the final three points.
• Montclair built a 6-2 advantage in the third stanza and later surged out to an 11-point lead, rattling off eight consecutive points. Following a Clark point, Craig tallied a kill and an attack error pushed the margin to 12. The Cougars climbed back into the contest with six of the next eight before the two sides traded the next four points. Four-straight points, including kills from Bautista and Craig, generated match point. Clark trimmed the deficit to nine, but SAMMY MIZAK capped off the day with a kill.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Bautista recorded a career-high 20 kills in the day's opening match to lead the way for Montclair, adding 16 digs for her 10th double-double of the campaign.
• Muuss was close behind with 19 kills, setting a new season-best. Defensively, Hatcher matched her season-high of 22 digs. 
• Against Clark, Bautista recorded another double-double with 13 kills and 13 digs. Cornelius and Hatcher added 11 digs each defensively. 
• The Red Hawks have won six consecutive contests, marking their third winning streak of six or more this season.

FROM THE COURT

"The team did a good job today in two very different matches. We kept our composure throughout the day to maintain leads and close out sets. Bryn and Cam both had a great match vs New Paltz with 20 and 19 kills respectively, and four players with double-digit digs kept us in the game. Emma had a great match with 22 digs. In the match against Clark, Bryn had another solid double-double and Sofia had a great match with eight kills hitting .667. Looking forward to a few days off and another non-conference match this Thursday." - Head Coach Eduardo Stawinski

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will begin a four-match homestand on Thursday, October 30 against John Jay. First serve from the Panzer Athletic Center is scheduled for 6:00 PM.