Montclair State University Athletics

Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State University volleyball team (12-6) hosted a non-conference matchup on Friday evening against Brandeis (7-10), where the Red Hawks picked up a 3-1 victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Brandeis paced the early portion of the first set and pushed out to a 9-5 lead. BRYN BAUTISTA and SOFIA DIPROFIO notched back-to-back kills but didn't close the gap just yet on the Judges, who got out in front 13-9. It was ISABELLE HAWKINSON who hammered down the kill that ignited the Red Hawks to a 7-1 run that flipped the set, 16-14. Montclair attempted to fend off Brandeis, but facing a 19-18 deficit, the Judges took the next six points and seven of the next eight to secure a 25-20 win in the opening frame.
• Montclair came out fired up in the second set, jumping out to a 7-2 lead behind kills from BREANNA CRAIG, Bautista, and LILY THOMAS. The Red Hawks had a comfortable distance on the Judges and eventually opened the floodgates on the set with a 7-1 run at a score of 13-8 to take command, 20-9. That run was led by a pair of kills from both Bautista and Thomas. Brandeis tried to rally, but the Montclair lead was too great. Hawkinson sent down the final kill of set two, and Montclair won 25-15 to tie the match.
• Set three once again saw Montclair take an early advantage of 8-3. Brandeis used a 9-1 run to take a 12-9 lead, but Montclair countered, scoring 10 of the next 12 points to leap out to a 19-14 edge. Led by three more kills from Bautista, the Red Hawks took a 24-18 advantage, needing just one more point. The Judges scored the next three in an attempt to rally, but Craig halted it with a kill that clinched a 25-21 set-three victory.
• Fighting for a deciding set five, the Judges climbed out to a 6-1 lead. The Red Hawks clawed back using five kills and a Bautista service ace to cut the lead to 8-7. Brandeis tallied three of the next four points before Montclair nabbed the next five behind two blocks and a kill from Craig to take a 13-11 edge. Set four was a slugfest down the stretch. Two lead changes and six tied scores saw the game at a 20-20 stalemate. A kill gave Brandeis the lead, but not for long as three-straight errors gave Montclair a 23-21 advantage. Brandeis got the kill to get to within one, but Montclair put a bow on the match with a Bautista kill and a Craig block, ending the set 25-22 and earning the non-conference win for Montclair.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Bautista once again showed out with her seventh double-double of the season, tallying a team-leading 17 kills and 11 digs.
• Thomas mirrored her performance on Tuesday at Stockton, tying a season-high with eight kills in the matchup.
• LUCY CORNELIUS had her own version of a double-double as well, tallying 37 assists and digging out 11 balls. She also had a season-high three blocks to go along with two service aces.
• Before the match, Montclair volleyball celebrated the 10^th anniversary of their 2016 NJAC Championship. They welcomed back several members of the team to commemorate a team that set a program record in wins with 26, won its third NJAC title in program history (the last conference title the team has won), and made its trip to the NCAA tournament, which was only the second time in program history the team went to the dance.

FROM THE COURT

• "Tonight was a great performance all around. Proud of the way we implemented a few areas we worked on this week. Our serving was stronger, our blocking did a great job to slow their attacks down or channel the ball to the defense and we did a fantastic job minimizing the errors." Head Coach Eduardo Stawinski

UP NEXT

• Montclair will have a fast turnaround as they hit the road on Saturday, October 10, for a tri-match at St. Joseph's-Long Island. The Red Hawks will open with Albertus Magnus at 12:00 p.m. and follow with a matchup against the host Golden Eagles at 2:00 p.m.