Montclair State University Athletics

New York, NY – The Montclair State University volleyball team (7-2) hit the road for a non-conference matchup at John Jay (3-5) and came away victorious by a 3-1 score.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both teams traded blows early on, up to a 5-4 Montclair advantage. The Red Hawks then scored five of the next six points, sparked by four kills from four different student-athletes to take a 13-6 lead. Following a Bloodhounds kill, LILY THOMAS hammered down one of her own and ignited an 8-1 run to command a 21-8 lead. Thomas and SOFIA DIPROFIO tag-teamed three blocks during that run. John Jay didn't go down without a fight, however, scoring eight of the next 11. BREANNA CRAIG halted the momentum and put down the final kill of the set for a 25-16 win.
• Kills from Thomas and Craig and block assists by Craig and Fiedler put Montclair up 3-0. The two teams seesawed points up to an 8-5 MSU advantage. The Bloodhounds scored three unanswered to tie the set, but Montclair answered with four straight to continue to hold the lead at 12-8. The two teams continued to battle deep into the set with no team able to generate a true run until the end. Facing a 20-18 deficit, John Jay came alive and made a huge swing with an 8-2 run that allowed them to take set two by a score of 25-22.
• Following each team taking two points from each other, DiProfio put down a kill to start a small 5-2 run that pushed the Red Hawks out in front, 7-4. John Jay fought back and cut the lead to just 10-8, but a kill by Thomas sparked five unanswered and widened the gap to 15-8. Despite a few good attempts to rally by the Bloodhounds, the Red Hawks only let them get to within three on two separate occasions (16-13 & 23-20). A kill by Thomas and a service ace by LUCY CORNELIUS sealed the win for Montclair in set three, 25-20.
• John Jay had a 2-1 edge early, but Montclair swung back, sparked by service aces from ALEENA WHITEHEAD and BRYN BAUTISTA to take an 8-3 lead. The Bloodhounds clawed back to within three (9-6) but were once again hurt by kills from Craig and service aces by ISABELLA DECHICO that propelled Montclair to a 14-7 edge. A 7-2 run cut Montclair's advantage to just two at 16-14. The Red Hawks swung back with a 5-1 run to hold a 21-15 lead. From there, they were able to stave off another Bloodhounds run and came away with a 25-18 set-four win that clinched the match.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The Red Hawks saw their highest block total of the season with 12 as a team. That effort was led by DiProfio with five, followed closely by Thomas with four.
• Bautista posted back-to-back double-doubles, leading the team with 14 kills, while tallying 11 digs.
• Whitehead had generated the most productive outing of her young career. She led the team and posted season-highs in both service aces (6) and digs (23).
• Montclair sits atop the early NJAC standings with a record of 7-2.

FROM THE COURT

• "Tonight was definitely a battle for us. We had some inconsistencies throughout periods of the match, but I was really proud of the way we continued to fight and find a way to get the win. When things weren't clicking offensively, we did a great job relaying on our defense to keep us in the game and give us opportunities at second chance swings. Finding a way to win through these moments is important for our team. We have to clean up some areas in preparation for this weekends tough competition." Head Coach Eduardo Stawinski

UP NEXT

• Montclair hosts its first tri-match of the season on Saturday, September 19. They host Whittier at 12:00 p.m. and Franklin & Marshall at 4:00 p.m.