Union, NJ – The Hardwood Arena got an instant classic to kick off NJAC play on Tuesday evening. The Montclair State University volleyball team (8-4, 0-1 NJAC) battled the defending conference champions Kean (4-6, 1-0 NJAC), where a hard-fought match saw the Red Hawks drop the conference opener in five sets.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Kean led by a slight margin of 4-3 in the opening stages of set one. A few errors brought the Red Hawks back into the frame, and AVA FIEDLER eventually hammered down a kill at 5-5 to spark a 5-1 run that gave Montclair a 10-6 lead. Three more kills from the Cougars cut the lead to within two, but a kill from SOFIA DIPROFIO halted the run and led to four unanswered points by Montclair. The Red Hawks eventually widened the gap to 21-14. Facing a 24-16 deficit, the Cougars battled back with a trio of points, but a service ace iced the set, and Montclair took a 1-0 set advantage.
- Montclair clung to early momentum, using a kill and a service ace from BRYN BAUTISTA to go up 6-3. Kean battled back, and the match saw three lead changes and seven tied scores up to a 14-14 stalemate. Kean used two kills, a service ace, and a block to jump out to a 19-15 lead. The Cougars continued their momentum and jumped out to 23-16. Despite kills from Bautista and BREANNA CRAIG, Kean tied the match with a 25-19 set two victory.
- DiProfio kicked off set three with a kill. Fiedler saw two, and Bautista scored another to put Montclair up 7-4. The two teams traded blows, with Kean eventually inching their way back to tie the score 12-12. At a 15-15 tie, the Cougars scored four straight to jump out 19-15. Kean forced its way into errors that propelled Montclair back into the match 19-19. Montclair held a 22-21 edge, but Kean clawed its way out and took set three, 25-23.
- The Cougars carried the set three momentum into the fourth, jumping out to a 9-5 advantage. A kill and a block assist from ISABELLE HAWKINSON helped tie the contest at nine apiece. The two teams once again volleyed back and forth. Four lead changes led to a 14-14 tie, and the Red Hawks jumped out ahead, scoring four of the next five to hold an 18-15 advantage. Kean swung back to tie the score 19-19. Craig and DiProfio tag-teamed a block that sparked a 5-1 run. Needing just one point to send it into a fifth set, Bautista got the kill she needed, and the Red Hawks forced a decisive final frame.
- Each team traded three points before Kean scored five unanswered that made the difference in the matchup. Despite a valiant effort from the Red Hawks, the Cougars gained too much momentum and sealed the match with a 15-8 set five.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Bautista, who eclipsed the 500 career kill mark just last week, finished with a career-high 22 kills, while adding 12 digs and two service aces. She swung .426 in the match and started a streak of three straight double-doubles and has one in four of the last five matches.
- ALEENA WHITEHEAD also kept a streak going with her fourth straight match of 20+ digs, finishing the night with 23.
- Fiedler was the other Red Hawk in double digits for kills with 10, while ERIN SAUNDERS had double-digit digs with 11.
FROM THE COURT
- "This was a hard-fought game, especially to kick off conference play on the road. I thought we did an excellent job executing our game plan in the first set. Unfortunately, we got away from it in the second set, and it swung momentum. We had a chance in the third set to take the lead, but the ball didn't bounce our way. I was proud of our effort in the fourth to force the deciding set. We couldn't overcome a slow start in the fifth set. We will learn from this match and bounce back in conference play next week on the road once again. We will utilize this weekend to work on some areas we need to clean up." Head Coach Eduardo Stawinski
UP NEXT
- Montclair will host its second and final home tri-match of the season this Saturday, September 26. They will face Nazareth at 10:00 a.m. and Misericordia at 2:00 p.m.
