Patchogue, NY – The Montclair State University volleyball team (14-6) went on the road for a Saturday tri-match and took care of business, besting both Albertus Magnus (7-11), 3-0, and host St. Joseph's-Long Island (9-4), 3-1.
VS. ALBERTUS MAGNUS
- Montclair jumped out to a 4-1 advantage in the opening set behind two kills from SOFIA DIPROFIO and two from ISABELLE HAWKINSON. Albertus Magnus battled back to even the frame at 6-6, but the Red Hawks responded and eventually held an 11-10 edge. From there, Montclair took complete control, scoring eight of the next nine points to widen the gap to 19-10. BRYN BAUTISTA tallied a kill and a service ace during the stretch, while Hawkinson put down two kills and DiProfio added a block. The Falcons attempted to chip away late, but Bautista hammered down the final kill for a 25-17 set-one victory.
- The Red Hawks carried the momentum into the second, scoring five of the first six points behind a kill from DiProfio and a service ace from ALEENA WHITEHEAD. Albertus Magnus narrowed the deficit to 10-9, but Montclair answered by scoring six of the next seven to push its advantage to 16-10. Whitehead added another ace during the run, while Bautista and LILY THOMAS each recorded kills. The Red Hawks continued to hold a comfortable margin down the stretch and eventually reached set point at 24-18 behind a kill from DiProfio. A block from Hawkinson and BREANNA CRAIG closed out the frame, 25-18, and gave Montclair a 2-0 match advantage.
- Montclair came out fast again in the third, using kills from Bautista, Thomas and Hawkinson to build a 6-1 lead. The Falcons responded with five of the next six to cut the gap to one before the Red Hawks pushed the advantage back to 11-7. Albertus Magnus continued to hang around and eventually tied the frame at 12-12, beginning a back-and-forth stretch that eventually reached a 19-19 deadlock. Hawkinson broke the tie with a kill before ERIN SAUNDERS delivered a service ace, DiProfio put down a kill, and LEAH ROBLES followed with one of her own to complete a four-point surge for a 23-19 lead. The Falcons tallied one more point, but Montclair closed out the 25-20 victory and completed the sweep.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Hawkinson led the Red Hawks with 12 kills while adding six digs and a block assist.
- DiProfio turned in an efficient offensive performance, putting down eight kills on 13 attempts with just one error for a team-best .538 hitting percentage. She also added a solo block.
- LUCY CORNELIUS dished out a match-high 31 assists while adding seven digs and a solo block.
- Whitehead led the defensive effort with 15 digs and chipped in two service aces, while Bautista recorded 10 digs, seven kills and two aces.
- KASEY TRZASKA led Montclair with three service aces as the Red Hawks finished with nine as a team.
- Montclair held Albertus Magnus to a .043 hitting percentage while finishing with 42 kills compared to 20 for the Falcons.
VS. ST. JOSEPH'S-LONG ISLAND
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The opening set saw the two sides trade points throughout the early stages, with neither team able to create much separation through an 11-11 tie. St. Joseph's made the first significant push, scoring three unanswered points to take a 14-11 advantage. Montclair continued to battle, and kills from BREANNA CRAIG helped keep the Red Hawks within striking distance, but the Golden Eagles widened the gap to 20-15. Montclair made one final push behind a service ace from ALEENA WHITEHEAD and another kill from Craig, but St. Joseph's closed out the frame, 25-20.
- Montclair wasted little time responding in the second, jumping out to an 8-3 advantage behind a service ace from BRYN BAUTISTA and kills from ERIN SAUNDERS and Craig. Holding a 10-6 lead, the Red Hawks completely broke the set open with four unanswered points, then followed shortly after with an eight-point surge that pushed the advantage all the way to 22-7. SOFIA DIPROFIO and LILY THOMAS combined on multiple blocks during the run, while Saunders, Whitehead and Thomas all put down kills. Montclair surrendered just one more point before cruising to a dominant 25-8 victory to even the match.
- St. Joseph's came out stronger in the third and built an early 7-2 advantage. Montclair quickly responded with five straight points, highlighted by a kill from Saunders and a service ace from Bautista, to tie the frame at 7-7. The Golden Eagles regained control and eventually stretched the lead to 17-12, but the Red Hawks completely flipped the set from there. Montclair rattled off 10 unanswered points, with KASEY TRZASKA tallying back-to-back service aces, Craig putting down three kills, and LUCY CORNELIUS adding a kill during the run to surge ahead, 22-17. St. Joseph's could not recover, and Craig added another kill late as Montclair took the set, 25-19.
- The fourth set stayed tight early, with Montclair holding a slim 9-8 edge after a service ace from HAYDEN NEUHAUS. The Red Hawks slowly created separation, and a kill from ISABELLE HAWKINSON followed by a block from Thomas and Craig helped spark a four-point run that turned a 14-13 advantage into an 18-13 cushion. St. Joseph's cut the deficit to three, but Saunders answered with a kill before Neuhaus followed with her second service ace of the set to make it 21-15. The Golden Eagles made one final push, getting within four at 24-20, but Thomas hammered down the match-clinching kill for a 25-20 victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Craig turned in a dominant offensive performance, leading all Red Hawks with 15 kills while committing just two errors on 25 attempts for a .520 hitting percentage. She also added three block assists.
- Cornelius recorded a double-double with 38 assists and a team-high 18 digs. She also chipped in two kills and two block assists.
- DiProfio and Saunders each finished with nine kills. DiProfio hit .286 and added four block assists, while Saunders collected 11 digs.
- Thomas led the Red Hawks at the net with seven total blocks, including one solo block and six block assists.
- Trzaska paced Montclair with three service aces, while Bautista and Neuhaus each added two.
- After hitting -.088 in the opening set, Montclair rebounded to hit .379 in the second and held St. Joseph's to a -.192 attacking percentage in the frame. The Red Hawks finished the match with 47 kills, eight service aces and nine total blocks.
FROM THE COURT
- "Solid weekend for us between Friday night's game and today's tri-match. We faced three very different opponents, and today's matches challenged us on offense as both teams played strong defense. Against Albertus,s we had the chance to mix some lineups in and see players in different roles, so it was good to get that opportunity. We played a pretty steady match start to finish. Against St. Joseph's, we had a slow start in the first set but adjusted after that and raised our level of play." Head Coach Eduardo Stawinski
UP NEXT
- Montclair returns home for an NJAC showdown against William Paterson on Tuesday, October 13. The match is set for a 7:00 p.m. first serve.
