New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score 1 BOX SCORE: NJCU vs. HUNTER
BOX SCORE: DVC vs. HUNTER
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Defending CUNYAC conference champion Hunter College went 2-0, sweeping host New Jersey City University, 3-0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-18) and then knocking off Delaware Valley College in a neutral court match, 3-0 (25-12, 25-20, 25-13) in the first two contests of a non-conference  women's volleyball tri-match hosted by NJCU on Saturday at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on 'Coach Charlie Brown Court.'
 
In the NJCU/Hunter match, Hunter, which has dominated the CUNYAC with a 41-2 league record since 2007 and four NCAA appearances since 2006, had a .248 hitting percentage and finished the match with 44 kills in the 10 a.m. match.
 
Hunter improves to 15-6 with the win over the Gothic Knights and leads the all-time series, 9-5. NJCU drops to 4-13. The Hawks had 44 kills and only 18 errors as a team.
 
In defeat, rookie middle blocker JADE MEDLEY (Newark, NJ/Hudson Catholic) had a team high seven kills, while hitting .222 (7-3-18). Junior outside hitter KIARA MARTINEZ (Newark, NJ/East Side) hit .294 while adding six kills (6-1-17) and 11 digs.

 Freshman setter CINDY GARCIA (West New York, NJ/Memorial) provided 20 assists and seven digs and senior outside hitter TABITHA JORDAN (West New York, NJ/Memorial) added a team-high 13 digs.
 
Hunter was led by senior setter Katina Boutis (Pilot Mountain, NC/Salem Academy) who notched a match high of 27 assists. Senior outside hitter Christine Luebcke (Jackson Heights, NY/Benjamin Cardozo) hit .346 and registered a match high of 12 kills (12-3-26) while freshman middle blocker Lucia Stosic (Astoria NY/Long Island City) added 10 kills and two blocks.
 
Junior Kimberly Hirten (Lindenhurst, NY/St. John the Baptist) added a match high 14 digs and four aces. In one set of action freshman right side Taylor Kordich (West Islip, NY/West Islip) slammed five kills and hit .714. Sophomore middle blocker Jaclyn Hadfield (Crescent City, CA/Del Norte) posted a .625 attack rate with five kills and no errors in two games.
 
In the first set, the Gothic Knights played the Hawks very evenly, mainly due to the play of Medley and senior libero MICHELLE RAYO (Jersey City, NJ/County Prep). Hunter had an incredible 18 kills in the first set, hitting .300. NJCU played well, hitting .370 in the period with 11 kills and only one error.
 
Throughout the first set, the score was tied ten times and there were five lead changes. At a point, it looked as if NJCU was going to take control of the game when they tied up the score at 20, but aces from freshman Paulina Jobczyk (Middle Village, NY/Francis Lewis) and  Hirten propelled the Hawks to take the set.  Luebcke and Stosic each had a kill during the final moments of the set.
 
The Hawks took that momentum from the first set into the second one, jumping out to a 17-7 lead. NJCU couldn't get closer than 19-10. Hunter posted a .371 attack percentage and 16 kills in the game. The Hawks opened a 20-12 lead in the third set and held on for a 25-18 win to clinch the 3-0 win.
  Hunter came out strong from the opening serve and controlled the tempo of the match, limiting the Aggies to a -.031 hitting percentage. Hunter slammed 33 kills and hit .239.
 
With the win, Hunter improved to 16-6 while Delaware Valley dropped to 17-5. DVC had won three consecutive matches and 12 of its last 13 prior to the loss.
 
Hunter was led by Luebcke hit .429 and floored 10 kills and only one error in 21 attacks while Stosic rejected six blocks and hit .385 with seven kills. Also for the Hawks, Kordich hit .556 with five kills and no errors while adding six digs. Boutis dished 18 assists and seven digs for the Hawks. Hirten defended 10 digs.
 
For Delaware Valley, sophomore middle hitter Destinee Horning (Lititz, PA/Manheim Central) led the Aggies with six kills, while freshman setter Crystal Ronan (Springfield, VA/Robert E. Lee) added 18 assists.               
 
There were nine ties and six lead changes in the second set, but Hunter never trailed in the third set and just once in the opening period.