Montclair, NJ – The fourth-seeded Montclair State University volleyball team hosts fifth-seeded William Paterson in a rematch of last year's quarterfinal on Tuesday evening

GAME INFO
The match inside the Panzer Athletic Center is set for 7:00 p.m. Live coverage of the match can be found at montclairathletics.com.

TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased at njacsports.com/tickets. All tickets must be purchased electronically. NO CASH tickets will be sold at any tournament venue.
 
SCOUTING THE RED HAWKS
Montclair enters this showdown with a record of 22-8, clinching its third-straight 20-win season, eighth under Head Coach Eduardo Stawinski, who has been at the helm of this program since 2011. The Red Hawks' 5-3 NJAC record and the tiebreaker they had in the season over the Pioneers helped lock up the four seed and a home playoff game for the second time in three seasons. Montclair has been in the postseason every season since 2006. Montclair's key wins of the season were against Emerson, Franklin & Marshall, Brandeis, and Merchant Marine.

The Red Hawks as a team are well balanced, ranking top-five in every category during conference play, but were anchored by a strong defense that ranks second in digs per set (16.41) and lowest opponent hitting percentage allowed (.132). That defense was led in the back row by freshman libero ALEENA WHITEHEAD, who led the league in digs with 173 digs (5.41 per set) in NJAC play, a total of 39 digs more than the next player. That helped her garner three NJAC Defensive Player of the Week awards. On the block is the program's all-time block-assist leader, LILY THOMAS, who totaled 29 blocks in NJAC play this season, which ranks second in the league.

Offensively, the Red Hawks are led by BRYN BAUTISTA, who has 116 kills, ranks third in the NJAC, and has 3.63 kills per set, ranking fourth. Don't sleep on Bautista's ability to defend either, with her 3.25 digs per set ranking in the top 10 in conference play as a non-libero. She has tallied a total of 12 kill-dig double-doubles this season, with five of them coming during conference play. Setting up the offense has been sophomore setter LUCY CORNELIUS, who leads the NJAC in assists per set at an even 10. ISABELLE HAWKINSON and KASEY TRZASKA are other names to watch for the Red Hawks. Hawkinson came on late as a reliable hitter with her 78 kills and 2.98 kills per set ranking in the top 10. Trzaksa has been a threat on the serve for Montclair, leading the league with 24 and 0.89 per set during NJAC contests. 

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS

William Paterson enters the matchup with a 19-11 overall record and a 5-3 record in the NJAC that slated them as the fifth seed in the NJAC Tournament. They enter the playoffs on a bit of a hot streak, winning six of their last seven matches, including wrapping up the regular season with a win in a five-set thriller against Scranton. They have had some key wins this season, defeating RV Swarthmore (3-1), Stockton (3-0), and Springfield (3-0). Under the direction of Head Coach Kevin Rodgers, in his sixth season, William Paterson is seeking to win its second NJAC title in the past three seasons and its fifth in program history.

The Pioneers have boasted a strong defense in the conference this season, allowing the lowest hitting percentage (.120), opponent assists per set (8.80), and opponent kills per set (9.52), while averaging the most digs per set at 16.96. Junior Bella Demers has been at the forefront of that defensive effort this season, leading the league in digs per set with 5.46.

Senior outside hitter Cecilia Miller leads the William Paterson attack. The three-time All-NJAC (Two-time First Team) selection ranks fifth in kills per set (3.48) and seventh in total kills (89), while providing the same versatility as Montclair's Bautista, ranking just ahead of her in ninth in digs per set at 3.32 per set. Makayda Aldrich is another name to spotlight for WPU on the attack, sporting a .340 hitting percentage, which ranks fourth in the league this season. Sara Rogers has provided a nice serve for the Pioneers as well, ranking third in the NJAC in service aces per set at 0.60.

SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 38^th overall meeting between these two programs in a rivalry that dates back to 1989. While Montclair has the all-time series lead against William Paterson at 27-20, the Pioneers have gotten the better of the Red Hawks as of late. After snapping the longest win streak in the series' history (12 from 2011-2022), William Paterson is 4-1 in the last five matches, including nabbing a 3-1 win in last year's NJAC Quarterfinal match in Wayne, NJ.

LAST MEETING
Montclair hosted William Paterson this season on October 13. The Red Hawks earned a clean sweep of the Pioneers, ending a four-match skid they had against WPU, which eventually earned them the home playoff game in the tie-breaker scenario.  

UP NEXT
The winner of this match takes on the top-seeded Rowan team in Glassboro on Thursday, November 12. Match is predicted for a 7:00 p.m. start.