Montclair, NJ - The Montclair State University volleyball team looks to rebound from its setback this past weekend as it returns home to Panzer Athletic Center for a Saturday tri-match, hosting Saint Elizabeth University and the United States Merchant Marine Academy.
 
GAME INFO
The match against Saint Elizabeth is set for a 12:00 p.m. start at Panzer Athletic Center. The Eagles will face Merchant Marine at 2:00 p.m. and the Red Hawks will face the Mariners at 4:00 p.m. Live coverage of the match can be found at montclairathletics.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Montclair was defeated in its last outing against New York University, 3-1 this past Saturday. The Red Hawks battled the Violets early, taking a slim 6-5 advantage on an attack error and a service ace from KASEY TRZASKA. After NYU reclaimed the advantage at 10-8, Montclair rattled off three consecutive points on another error and back-to-back kills from SOFIA DIPROFIO. The home side countered with five of the next six points to go up three, but LILY THOMAS and CAMRYN MUUSS tallied kills to cut the margin to one. With the score even at 20, the Red Hawks once again amassed three in a row and later closed the stanza out with two of the final three points.A kill from Muuss early in the second frame put Montclair up 5-3, but the Violets answered with five of the next six points to reclaim the advantage. Another kill from Muuss and an attack error leveled the set at eight, but a 8-1 run from NYU vaulted them out in front by seven. The Red Hawks tallied three of the next four before the Violets strung together five in a row and eight of the final 10 points of the set to level the match. Down 4-2 to begin the third stanza, Muuss tallied another kill, and EMMA HATCHER recorded back-to-back aces after an error from the Violets to push the visitors back in front. NYU answered with seven-straight points and added three more after an attack error to go up 14-7. Back-to-back errors and a kill from LUCY CORNELIUS brought Montclair within four, but the Violets slowly maintained the lead at 17-12 before pulling away with the set with the final eight points. Montclair built a 6-2 advantage in the opening stages of the fourth frame, headlined by kills from Muuss and DiProfio along with another ace from Hatcher. A few points later, Muuss tallied a kill and an attack error from the Violets pushed the lead to 10-5 before they equalized on five consecutive points. Trzaska countered with a kill and ace, but NYU answered again with seven of the next eight points. With the margin 19-15, the home side vaulted out to match point with five-straight. The Red Hawks battled back with four points in a row, but NYU closed out the match with the final point to end the run.
 
2025 TEAM LEADERS
MONTCLAIR STATE (6-2)
Kills: CAMRYN MUUSS, 81
Assists: LUCY CORNELIUS, 204
Digs: EMMA HATCHER, 90
Aces: EMMA HATCHER, 27
Blocks: LILY THOMAS, 21
 
2025 SAINT ELIZABETH UNIVERSITY (4-6)
Kills: Dadlyna Louis, 67
Assists: Amiyah Freeman, 74
Digs: Alyssa Wells, 136
Aces: Marissa Heimbaugh, 33
Blocks: Dadlyna Louis, 18
 
2025 UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY (5-3)
Kills: Sydney Douglas, 70
Assists: Alexa Tipps, 234
Digs: Stephanie Schatzman, 107
Aces: Alexa Tipps, 21
Blocks: Maddie Mayer, 20
 
SCOUTING SAINT ELIZABETH UNIVERSITY 
The Saint Elizabeth University women's volleyball team enters the tri-match with a 4-6 overall record after splitting its last tri-match with a win against Purchase (3-0), but losing to Penn State-Abington (3-0). In 2024, SEU compiled an 11-14 overall record with a 4-6 record in the Atlantic East. They earned a bid to the conference tournament, but were bested by Keystone, 3-1.
 
UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY 
The United States Merchant Marine Academy women's volleyball team enters the match with a 6-3 record, coming off a strong 3-0 win over Drew this past Saturday. The Mariners are looking to build on last year's impressive 19-9 (9-2 Skyline) campaign. Last season, they entered the Skyline Conference Tournament as the second seed and bested St. Joseph's-Long Island, 3-2, but were defeated in the conference championship by Manhattanville, 3-0.  USMMA was tabbed as a favorite in the Skyline Conference preseason poll and will look to continue that momentum in 2025.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Montclair State University holds a perfect 2-0 record against Saint Elizabeth University and has also found consistent success against the United States Merchant Marine Academy, leading the all-time series 10-4. The Red Hawks most recently faced the United States Merchant Marine Academy on November 3, 2023, securing a 3-1 triumph over the Mariners.
 
UP NEXT
The Red Hawks open New Jersey Athletic Conference play on Tuesday, September 23, when they travel to Wayne, NJ, for a 7:00 p.m. matchup against rival William Paterson.