New Jersey City University Athletics

BOX SCORE

GLASSBORO, NJ…If New Jersey City University is going to make a fourth consecutive appearance in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament championship match this season, the Gothic Knights will likely need to play two matches to get there, rather than one. NJCU fell behind two sets to none, won the third, but were outlasted in the fourth, 29-27, as Rowan University surprised the Knights, 3-1 by scores of 25-23, 25-18, 21-25, 27-29, in an NJAC match on Thursday night at Esby Gymnasium.

After winning 15 consecutive NJAC regular season matches, NJCU (11-8, 4-3 NJAC) has dropped its last three league contests and three straight overall. Rowan evens its record at 11-11 (3-3 NJAC) and now leads the all-time series, 20-3.

The loss spoiled a tremendous effort for senior middle blocker SARAH TORRES (Elizabeth, NJ/Science) who posted a match and career-high 20 kills (20-5-48), hit .312 and stuffed four blocks (two solo). The four blocks gives Torres exactly 300 for her career—only the second player in NJCU history to reach that plateau. She now has 914 career kills. Her previous single-match high was 16 on September 19, 2006.

NJCU sophomore setter #ALEX JOHANESEN# (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) went over the 1500-assist level (1503) with 43 assists and 10 digs. In matching her career-high in digs she notched her third career double-double.

Senior outside hitter JACQUELINE LeBLANC (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) recorded her 32^nd career double-double with 22 digs and 10 kills. It was her fifth career 20-dig match and three shy of her personal high. She needs just 7.5 more points to reach 1,500 for her career (1,492.5) and now has 1299 kills.

Junior middle blocker JENNIFER HATCH (Paterson, NJ/Mary Help of Christians Academy) landed 11 kills and made just one error (11-1-37), hit .270 and added four blocks (two solo).

Six players reached double digits in digs for NJCU. Senior libero LYANELLY NEGRON (Union, NJ/Union) had 16 and sophomore opposite THERESA CARVALHO (Rahway, NJ/Rahway) defended 15. 

Freshman outside hitter TABITHA JORDAN (Bayonne, NJ/Memorial) compiled 12 digs in three games, while junior outside hitter MELISSA LOO (Rutherford, NJ/Rutherford) had 11 digs in three games. Both players' totals were career highs.

Rowan received 32 of its 92 digs from sophomore libero Casey Roselle (Sparta, NJ/Sparta). Senior outside hitter Alexis Louie (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) had a double-double of 16 kills (16-8-55) and 16 digs while junior middle blocker Chelsea Bowman (Penns Grove, NJ/Salem County Christian Academy) added 10 kills. Junior outside hitter KAREN RAMIREZ (Bogota, NJ/Bogota), who played for NJCU in 2007, had 15 digs and seven kills.

Also for the Profs, junior setter Chrissy McKay (Paramus, NJ/Paramus) provided 24 assists and nine digs while freshman setter Sarah Betancourt (Harrington Park, NJ/Northern Valley Old Tappan) had 15 assists.

After a 7-7 tie in the first set, NJCU burst ahead to a 17-12 advantage, but could not hold it as the Profs rallied to 17-16. The clubs traded six ties, including 23-23. But after an attack error by the Knights made it 24-23, Ramirez handed Rowan a 25-23 win with a kill.

The second set was tight at 10-9 Rowan, before the Profs unleashed a 9-2 run to gain a 19-11 advantage. NJCU hit .000 in the game and never came close as Rowan landed 15 kills.

NJCU refused to quit, winning the third set 25-21. Rowan had a chance for the sweep, leading 19-12. However, the Knights uncorked a 12-1 run to turn that seven point deficit into a 24-20 margin. Loo and Torres combined for two kills apiece to cut the deficit to 19-18 before three more kills by Torres, and another by Loo put the Knights in front 23-20. NJCU sealed the game on another kill by Torres, who hit .462 in the set with seven kills (7-1-13), closing it out, 25-21.

Set four proved to be the longest NJCU had played since the rally scoring format shifted to 25 points this season. Rowan led 15-10 before a kill by Hatch and Torres and three Prof errors allowed NJCU to score six straight points. Torres helped push the lead to 20-17 before Rowan tied it at 21-21 on an ace by Louie, as the Profs scored four of five points. After ties at 22-22, 23-23 and 24-24, Ramirez put Rowan ahead with a kill before Torres kept NJCU alive with a kill at 25-25. A winner by Rowan made it 26-25 before Torres floored another winner. Louie tallied a kill for 27-26, before Torres forced a third tie with yet another kill—one of seven she had in the set while hitting .500 (7-0-14). But Rowan took the lead for good on a service error by NJCU, and Bowman chalked up a kill for match point, 29-27.

NJCU will look to rebound this weekend as it strives for a fifth consecutive championship when it hosts the Gothic Knight Invitational on Saturday, October 18 beginning at 9 a.m. at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center. Also participating will be City College of New York, Medgar Evers College, Rutgers-Newark, William Paterson University and York College (NY).