Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State University volleyball team extended its winning streak to six matches on Saturday at the Panzer Athletic Center, taking down Hunter 3-0 before edging Stevens 3-2 to close out the afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (14-3) battled the Hawks early, mounting a 6-1 run with the score level at four to go up five. After Hunter cut the deficit to three, SOFIA DIPROFIO notched a kill and LUCY CORNELIUS tallied a pair as part of a 7-1 stretch to push the home side out 19-10. Following a Hunter point, Montclair closed the opening stanza with six of the final seven points, highlighted by a trio of kills from LILY THOMAS.
• Level at three in the second set, the Red Hawks rattled off eight of the next nine points, three of which coming on kills from CAMRYN MUUSS. Hunter bounced back with a 6-3 run to cut the score to 15-10, but KASEY TRZASKA notched a kill followed by a service ace from Cornelius. Hunter trimmed the margin to one at 17-16, but five-straight points vaulted Montclair in front by six, a margin they would relinquish the rest of the set.
• Hunter surged out to a 6-2 lead in the third frame and held a 13-11 advantage as the set approached the halfway point. The Red Hawks countered with seven consecutive points, with Muuss notching a pair of kills. The Hawks hung around and battled back to within five at 23-18, but an attack error and kill from Cornelius sealed the straight-set victory for the home side.
• Montclair recorded seven of the first nine points to open up their match against Stevens, as Muuss led the way with two kills. Following a point from the Ducks, the Red Hawks amassed seven of the next eight, led by another kill from DiProfio and a kill and ace from Muuss. Stevens trimmed the match to 17-11, but Montclair rattled off five in a row on a pair of kills from Thomas. The Ducks got within nine late, but DiProfio sealed the set with the final point.
• The two sides were even at six early in the second before Stevens embarked on an 8-1 run to surge out 14-7. BRYN BAUTISTA ended the run with a kill as Montclair slowly climbed back to within three. The Ducks rebuilt their advantage with seven of the next 11 points and would later close out the stanza after Montclair cut the game to 24-20.
• Down 9-8 in the third, Cornelius leveled the game before Bautista tallied a pair of kills. Holding a 15-13 advantage, Montclair rattled off the next five points highlighted by two kills from BREANNA CRAIG. The Ducks closed the gap with a 7-1 run to make it a one-point contest, but a pair of points for Montclair pushed the game to 23-20. Stevens once again closed the gap to one at 24-23, but Bautista vaulted the Red Hawks back in front with the final kill of the stanza.
• With Montclair up 5-4 early in the fourth set, Stevens notched the next six points as part of a 11-2 run to surge ahead 15-7. A pair of points helped Montclair creep back into the stanza, but the Ducks notched six of the next eight points to build a double-digit lead. The Red Hawks recorded a 7-3 run before Stevens closed out the frame to force a decisive fifth set.
• DiProfio led the way early in the final stanza with a pair of kills as Montclair notched a 6-3 lead. The Ducks accumulated eight of the next 10 points to go up 11-8 before the Red Hawks came within one on an attack error and kill from DiProfio. Montclair notched a 4-2 run to take a slim one-point edge before the Ducks leveled at 14 on a service error. Back-to-back attack errors from Stevens sealed the victory for Montclair.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Muuss led the way offensively on the day for Montclair with 28 kills over the two matches. She has recorded double-digit kill totals in five of her last six performances. Muuss notched a new career-high 18 digs defensively against Stevens.
• Bautista notched a double-double against Stevens with 11 kills and 14 digs, marking her sixth of the campaign.
• DiProfio's 13 kills against the Ducks marked a new career-high, with Trzaska recording a season-best 12 digs, one off her career-high.
• Montclair has won its last six contests, marking its second six-match winning streak of the campaign.

FROM THE COURT

"We had a solid Saturday with two good wins. We played a complete match against Hunter in terms of attacking, blocking, defense and serving. I am proud of our effort and grit during the Stevens match. We had an outstanding first set and had to adjust to Stevens playing better. We did a great job pushing through the fifth set when facing a deficit. Sofia [DiProfio] had an outstanding match in terms of attacking and blocking. Our middles had solid offensive performance and Lucy ran a great offense, our defense saw five players (Cam, Bryn, Kasey, Lucy, and Emma) with double-digit digs and 22 block assists as a team is a great performance from our front line." - Head Coach Eduardo Stawinski

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will resume NJAC play on Tuesday, October 7 against Rutgers-Camden. First serve from the Panzer Athletic Center is scheduled for 7:00 PM.