Oneonta, NY – The Montclair State University volleyball team (5-0) clinched a perfect weekend at the Red Dragon Invitational on Saturday afternoon, winning its final two contests against SUNY Oneonta, 3-0, and Wheaton (Mass.), 3-1.
VS. SUNY ONEONTA
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Montclair started with a 5-3 lead due in part to a kill by BRYN BAUTISTA and a service ace by ALEENA WHITEHEAD. The Red Dragons tied the contest 6-6 and started a volley between the two teams. Montclair had most of the lead until a score of 18-15, when Oneonta scored five on the next six to hold a 21-19 edge. The Red Dragons used a flurry of kills to set up a 24-20 advantage. The Red Hawks did not fold, however, forcing the win-by-two rule by scoring four straight. Both teams battled hard to a 29-29 standstill. Oneonta gave the set away after a service error, and a bad set gave Montclair a 31-29 set-one win.
- The Red Dragons jumped out to a 5-3 start before the Red Hawks flipped the game in their favor with a trio of points. Oneonta took control for most of the middle set, jumping out to a lead of 16-10. Montclair inched its way closer, kept pace, and once again closed the set out strong. Behind 24-22, a service error, a kill from BREANNA CRAIG, a service ace by ERIN SAUNDERS, and a kill by Bautista earned Montclair another set win by a score of 26-24.
- The Red Hawks used the momentum and put the pedal down in the third, jumping out to an 8-1 edge and seeing kills from LILY THOMAS, Craig, and AVA FIELDER. SUNY Oneonta tried to overcome the deficit but was never able to gain a lead. The closest they got was within three at 18-15 before Montclair scored seven of the next nine points to complete the sweep with a 25-17 triumph in set three.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Craig earned her second double-digit kill effort of the season, collecting 10 in the contest.
- Bautista finished her day with eight kills and 10 digs. ALEENA WHITEHEAD tied Bautista in digs with 10 of her own.
- LUCY CORNELIUS dished out 22 assists in the match
- This was the first time these two teams faced each other.
VS. WHEATON
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The two teams battled in the early stages of the opening set. The matchup saw five tied scores and four lead changes up to an 8-7 Red Hawk lead. The Lyons looked to seize the advantage with five unanswered points, only for the Red Hawks to counter with six and hold a 14-12 lead. Montclair went into hyperdrive following a trio of points from Wheaton, scoring the final 11 points to seal a 25-15 win in set one. LILY THOMAS led the charge with four kills
- Wheaton came out of the first intermission red hot, jumping out to a 10-1 lead. Montclair took advantage of a series of attacking errors and bad sets to have the lead cut to 11-8. The two teams traded blows until a score of 13-10, when Wheaton scored five of the next six points to push out to a comfortable 18-11 edge. That lead gave them the cushion they needed to eventually tie the match with a 25-19 win in set two.
- With both teams taking a set from each other, the third set was a battle. Four tied scores and two lead changes happened up to a 6-5 Montclair advantage. Wheaton garnered the advantage with an 8-2 run that pushed them out to a 13-8 lead. The Red Hawks put themselves into the driver's seat when they answered with an 11-2 run, led by four kills from Craig. A 19-15 Montclair lead saw another big swing from Wheaton, scoring eight of the next 11 points to make the score 24-22. Knowing that the Lyons needed just one more point to win set three, AVA FIELDER downed two kills and invoked the win-by-two rule. It was a gritty final stretch for both teams, and in the end, it was Montclair who came away with the set three win thanks to a pair of attack errors and was victorious, 34-32.
- Montclair clung to the momentum and jumped out to a 9-2 lead thanks to kill contributions from Fielder, Craig, and SOFIA DIPROFIO. The extra-points loss in set three sucked the wind out of the sails of Wheaton, whose closest comeback attempt was the four points they scored in a row to cut the lead to 9-6. Montclair scored eight of the next 10 and kept a comfortable advantage all the way to a 25-17 win in set four and clinched a perfect weekend.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Craig went back-to-back with double-digit kill efforts, this time putting down 12.
- Four different Red Hawks saw double-digit dig efforts in the contest. Bautista led with 13, while Saunders and Whitehead each had 11. Cornelius ended the group with 10.
- Cornelius also notched 25 assists in this match, putting her total on the day up to 48.
- Montclair State starts its season off 5-0 for the second year in a row.
FROM THE COURT
- "Very proud of our team's effort this weekend. Four matches in 24 hours is tough, but we worked through it and walked away with a successful weekend. We managed the ups and downs throughout and were able to overcome deficits to pull out set wins. This group has grown significantly in the last two weeks and plays hard together. Looking forward to a break and getting back in the gym to prepare for next weekend." Head Coach Eduardo Stawinski
UP NEXT
- Montclair competes in its second-straight invitational, this time participating in the NYU Season-Opening Invitational. They will face the host and nationally ranked #25 Royals to kick it off on Friday, September 11
