New Paltz, NY – The Montclair State University volleyball team (10-5, 1-1 NJAC) earned its first conference victory of the season on Tuesday evening, holding off SUNY New Paltz (6-10, 0-2 NJAC) in five sets.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After New Paltz scored the opening point of the match, Montclair responded with three straight and eventually built a 6-2 advantage behind a service ace from ALEENA WHITEHEAD. The Red Hawks continued to create separation, as three kills from BRYN BAUTISTA highlighted a 4-0 run that pushed the lead to 14-6. The Hawks answered with three straight, but Montclair swung back with five unanswered points behind an ace from Bautista and two kills from LILY THOMAS to command a 19-9 edge. New Paltz could not recover from the deficit, and the Red Hawks closed out the opening frame, 25-13.
- Montclair held a 4-2 edge early in the second before New Paltz rattled off five unanswered to take a 7-4 lead. KASEY TRZASKA quickly helped swing momentum back to the Red Hawks, tallying three service aces during a 5-0 run that put Montclair back in front, 9-7. The two sides continued to battle to an 11-11 tie before the Red Hawks once again scored five straight, with Thomas recording two kills during the stretch to build a 15-11 advantage. New Paltz cut the deficit to two at 17-15, but Montclair kept the Hawks at arm's length the rest of the way and took a 2-0 match lead with a 25-20 victory.
- The Red Hawks appeared poised to finish off the match early in the third, scoring six unanswered points to grab a 6-1 advantage. New Paltz slowly worked its way back into the frame and eventually erased an 11-8 deficit with three straight points. Bautista briefly put Montclair back ahead with a kill, but the Hawks responded with six unanswered to take a 17-12 lead. New Paltz continued to pull away down the stretch and forced a fourth set with a 25-16 win.
- Neither side could take control early in the fourth, with Montclair using back-to-back service aces from Trzaska as part of a 4-0 run to turn a 9-6 deficit into a 10-9 lead. New Paltz answered and later used four unanswered points to move ahead, 16-13. The Red Hawks battled back to knot the frame at 17-17 before the Hawks scored three of the next four for a 21-18 advantage. A kill from SOFIA DIPROFIO and another Trzaska ace brought Montclair within one at 21-20, but New Paltz responded with three straight and eventually took the set, 25-21, to force a fifth.
- Facing an early 2-1 deficit in the deciding frame, Montclair completely seized control. Kills from Bautista and ISABELLE HAWKINSON helped spark five unanswered points for a 6-2 advantage. After New Paltz stopped the run with a kill, the Red Hawks erupted for another six straight, with Hawkinson and BREANNA CRAIG putting down kills and Trzaska adding two more service aces to widen the gap to 12-3. Montclair never looked back, as Bautista brought the Red Hawks to match point with a kill before ERIN SAUNDERS delivered a service ace to seal the 15-5 set victory and the match.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Bautista turned in a double-double and led the Red Hawks with 16 kills while adding 23 digs, four service aces and a .208 hitting percentage.
- Whitehead anchored the Montclair defense with a match-high 35 digs while also adding a service ace.
- Trzaska was dominant from the service line, recording eight of Montclair's 16 service aces. She also collected nine digs.
- ADDI SYMONS dished out a match-high 38 assists and completed a double-double with 11 digs. She also added two service aces and two block assists.
- Thomas finished with seven kills on a team-best .278 hitting percentage and led Montclair with six block assists. Craig also tallied seven kills, while Hawkinson added six.
- The Red Hawks finished the night with 95 digs and 16 service aces while holding New Paltz to a .073 hitting percentage.
FROM THE COURT
- "A conference win on the road is a great thing. We did a great job in the first two sets executing our game plan and felt in total control of the match. New Paltz did a great job adjusting and putting pressure on us. I was very proud of the way we handled the fifth set and kept our composure. We went back to what worked in the first set and closed out the match. Addi did a great job stepping in and running the offense, Kasey had a fantastic night from the service line, and Izzy came off the bench and provided a spark with some swings. We have a quick turnaround for a second conference match on Thursday." – Head Coach Eduardo Stawinski
UP NEXT
- Montclair State returns home Thursday, October 1, to host Rutgers-Newark. The NJAC showdown is slated for 7:00 p.m.
