New Jersey City University Athletics

 

JERSEY CITY, NJ…Junior middle blocker LIZZELLE CINTRON (Newark, NJ/Elizabeth) and sophomore outside hitter JACQUELINE LeBLANC (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) combined for 27 kills and 13 service aces, as New Jersey City University uncorked 20 aces and won its 23^rd consecutive home court match, sailing past Ramapo College, 3-1 (30-23, 30-19, 22-30, 30-15), in a New Jersey Athletic Conference contest at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.

 

NJCU, the defending NJAC champions, has never lost at home in the three-year career of head coach CHRISTOPHER FELICIANO, and have now won 12 consecutive NJAC regular season and tournament matches.

 

The Gothic Knights improve to 12-4 overall and 3-0 in the league by posting their third consecutive win and sixth in seven matches. Ramapo (8-5, 0-3 NJAC) loses its fifth consecutive match following an 8-0 start to the season. However, the Roadrunners have now faced each of the top three teams in the league standings this season—NJCU, Richard Stockton College and Rutgers-Newark.

 

Ramapo leads the all-time series, 17-15, but NJCU has won the last six meetings between the schools since 2000.

 

Cintron smoked 15 kills and had only three errors in 22 attacks for a .545 hitting percentage, and added nine digs, a career-high eight aces, and three blocks. Her previous career best in aces was five on two occasions.

 

LeBlanc struck for 12 kills (12-5-30, .233), nine digs, and five aces—including four in a row in game two, Her five aces were one better than her previous career high.

 

Sophomore middle blocker SARAH TORRES (Elizabeth, NJ/Science) hammered 12 kills and only committed one error in 19 swings for a .579 ratio, while adding three blocks and two aces.

Sophomore setter SOFIA GUTIERREZ (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) delivered 34 assists to quarterback an offense which hit .344 in the match (44-13-90).

 

Defensively, sophomore libero LYANELLY NEGRON (Union, NJ/Union) provided a match-high 19 digs, and junior outside hitter GLORINELL PEREZ (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth) added to her all-time program record with 11 digs.

 

Two players reached double-figures in kills for the Roadrunners, led by freshman opposite Kaitlin Smith (Westwood, NJ/Immaculate Heart Academy), who collected 13 kills and had just two errors in 30 attacks for a .367 percentage. Junior middle hitter Joli Specia (Ringwood, NJ/Lakeland Regional) contributed 11 kills (11-2-20) and a .450 percentage.

 

Junior setter Ashley Cornett (Hawthorne, NJ/Hawthorne) dished 33 assists for RCNJ and junior libero Christine Simmons (Upper Saddle River, NJ/Northern Highlands) defended 15 digs.

 

After RCNJ went ahead 14-12 in game one, the Gothic Knights reeled off an 11-2 run to gain control, winning the frame, 30-23.

 

The second game was easier for the Knights, who pulled ahead 8-1 out of the gates, and found themselves in front 17-7 after LeBlanc floored four straight aces. Four solid serves by sophomore setter JUNIE JEAN-MARIE (Rahway, NJ/Rahway) made it 22-8, and the Knights prevailed 30-19.

 

With RCNJ holding a 16-15 lead in game three, the visitors posted a 10-1 run. Back-to-back kills by freshman outside hitter Maureen Hennecke (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) made it 19-15 before three attack errors by NJCU and two Roadrunner aces made it 26-16, and RCNJ forced game four, 22-30.

But in game four, NJCU proved why it hasn’t lost an NJAC match since 2003. Trailing 4-2 early, runs of 7-0 and 10-1 gave the hosts a 12-5 advantage, as Cintron floated three aces and LeBlanc had a solo stuff. NJCU never let Ramapo get close, winning the final game, 30-15.

 

NJCU will return to action on Friday, September 29 and Saturday, September 30 at the Vassar College Tournament in Poughkeepsie, NY, with matches against Vassar, Mitchell College, John Jay College, and Ramapo. RCNJ hosts St. Joseph’s College-Brooklyn at 7 p.m. on September 28, before competing in the Vassar tournament.