New Jersey City University Athletics

BOX SCORE

NEW YORK, NY…Senior outside hitter JACQUELINE LeBLANC (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) matched her season high with 18 kills and notched her 29^th career double-double to move into sole possession of second place in program history in kills, but Hunter College scored six of the final eight points in game five to hold off a challenge from New Jersey City University, 3-2 (23-25, 25-16, 25-22, 19-25, 15-12) on Thursday.

Hunter remains unbeaten at 2-0 and now leads the all-time series, 7-5. NJCU falls to 2-4 overall, with all loses to clubs with winning records.

LeBlanc, this week's New Jersey Athletic Conference and Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III South Player of the Week, blasted a match-high 18 kills (18-12-55, .109), adding 17 digs and two blocks, giving her 1,161 career kills in less than three full seasons of play after missing nearly two-thirds of the 2007 campaign. She passed former NJCU middle hitter Melissa Pablos (2000-03, 1,143 kills) for sole possession of second place in program history. She posted her fifth straight match of 13 or more kills.

Senior middle blocker SARAH TORRES (Elizabeth, NJ/Science) had 14 kills (14-8-35, .171) and six blocks (four solo) while junior middle blocker JENNIFER HATCH (Paterson, NJ/Mary Help of Christians Academy) added seven kills (7-3-23, .174). Senior outside hitter JENNIFER CARVALHO (Rahway, NJ/Rahway) had five kills and 11 digs.

Sophomore #ALEX JOHANESEN# (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) had 39 assists and 10 digs. Senior libero LYANELLY NEGRON (Union, NJ/Union) delivered 23 digs. Sophomore opposite JENNIFER CARVALHO (Rahway, NJ/Rahway) landed four aces.

Hunter received 18 kills (18-8-50, .200), 13 digs, five aces and three solo blocks from senior opposite Amanda Kamm (Dix Hills, NY/Hills West) and 22 digs and 10 kills (10-6-35, .114) along with four aces by senior middle blocker Olga Petrenko (Bronx, NY/Environmental Studies). Freshman outside hitter Mallory Grubler (Bayside, NY/Cardozo) added a .312 percentage with seven kills (7-2-16) and three blocks.

Also for the Hawks, senior setter Melissa Hernandez (Ridgewood, NY/Aviation) had 23 digs and sophomore setter Stephanie Broome (Lynbrook, NY/Lynbrook) had 34 assists and eight digs.

After an early tie in game one, NJCU never trailed again, although the Hawks drew within one point on numerous occasions, including 24-23, after the Knights couldn't hold a 24-21 lead. NJCU won the opening set on a service error.

In set two, the Hawks posted a 10-4 run to gain a 19-12 cushion before winning 25-16. Trailing 10-8 in set three, a pair of LeBlanc winners helped put NJCU in front and a Hatch kill increased the lead to 16-12. That lead expanded to 20-15 on an ace by Carvalho. But Hunter scored 10 of the final 12 points to steal the set and gained a 2-1 lead in the match as Hernandez served eight consecutive points. NJCU made four straight attack errors before Grubler and Petrenko added kills to tie it at 22-22. Another attack error, a Hernandez ace and a bad set sealed the game.

In set four, NJCU surged ahead to a 19-8 lead. A pair of Kamm aces pulled the Hawks within 24-19 before Torres forced a fifth set with a winner.

There were four ties and two lead changes in set five, including 9-9 after JENNIFER CARVALHO and Petrenko traded kills. It remained 10-10 as LeBlanc and Petrenko also tallied kills, before two NJCU errors followed by an ace from Broome gave the Hawks a 13-10 lead. LeBlanc and Kamm traded kills for a 14-11 advantage, before Hunter won the match on an NJCU attack error.

NJCU, the 2007 New Jersey Athletic Conference regular season champions, will open the conference slate on Tuesday, September 16 when the Knights face Rutgers-Newark at the Golden Dome in Newark, NJ at 7 p.m.