New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

NEW YORK, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Rookie middle blocker JADE MEDLEY (Newark, NJ/Hudson Catholic) became just the fifth player in school history to crush 25 kills in a match, but New Jersey City University dropped a 3-2 decision (25-23, 18-25, 23-25, 25-14, 3-15) to host City College of New York in the second contest of the CCNY Quad Match on Saturday at the Nat Holman Gymnasium.
 
Medley hit .316 and clobbered 25 kills on seven errors in 56 attempts, joining three-time New Jersey Athletic Conference Player of the Year Lizzelle Cintron, Cara Strzelczyk, Melissa Pablos and Lucille Villaplana as the only known Gothic Knights to reach the 25-kill plateau in the 29-year history of women's volleyball at NJCU. Those five players have now combined to record 25 or more kills a total of 46 times.
 
With the win, CCNY improved to 7-22 overall and leads the all-time series, 16-13. NJCU fell to 5-17 with the loss.
 
Medley rejected four blocks (three solo) and had 25 of NJCU's 44 kills. CCNY junior outside hitter Dalliana Toussaint (Brooklyn, NY) and senior middle blocker Zuleyka Polanco (Bronx, NY) combined for 45 of CCNY's 52 kills and 49 digs to lead the Beavers.
 
Medley had six kills in each of the first three sets, hitting .357 (6-1-14), .385 (6-1-13) and .417 (6-1-12) in those games before flooring seven kills in the fourth set for a .417 attack rate (7-2-12). But she was held without a kill in the decisive fifth set (0-2-6, -.333).
 
Toussaint hammered a match-high 29 kills, defended a team-best 26 kills and hit .323 (nine errors, 62 attacks). She had seven kills in the first set, hitting .250 (7-3-16) and six kills (6-2-12, .333) in the second game before slamming 10 winners in the third set (10-2-18) with a .444 percentage. She chipped in three kills in each of the final two games.
 
Meanwhile, Polanco finished with 16 kills (16-4-52, .231), 23 digs, four solo blocks and four aces and had two dominant offensive periods—a .538 attack percentage with seven kills (7-0-13) in the second set and a 5-0-10, .500 line in the decisive fifth set. CCNY freshman setter Sophia Palumbo (Staten Island, NY) compiled a double-double of 41 assists and 18 digs.
 
Also for NJCU, senior libero AMANDA DOPICO (West New York, NJ/Memorial) delivered a career-high 28 digs while junior outside hitter KIARA MARTINEZ (Newark, NJ/East Side) added a career-best 20 digs, with four aces. Rookie setter CINDY GARCIA (West New York, NJ/Memorial) finished with a career-high 39 assists and eight digs.
 
Also for NJCU, senior outside hitter TABITHA JORDAN (West New York, NJ/Memorial) had six kills, 11 digs and three aces. Senior defensive specialist MICHELLE RAYO (Jersey City, NJ/County Prep) landed four aces.
 
CCNY had a 12-10 edge in kills in the opening set but NJCU opened a 20-12 lead and had seven set points, leading 24-17. CCNY made an impressive comeback, scoring six consecutive points, with four kills—three by Toussaint­—and an ace by Polanco, cutting it to a 24-23 game, before Medley slammed a ball to the floor for a 25-23 set win.
 
The Beavers hit .342 and had a 15-10 cushion in kills, winning the second game, 25-18, after opening a 17-11 lead.
 
In the third set there were seven ties and four lead changes. NJCU twice held three-point leads late in the set. Two kills by Toussaint tied it at 20-20 before an NJCU kill and back-to-back aces by Jordan gave the Knights a 23-20 advantage. But the Beavers reeled off the final five points of the period—two on NJCU errors and the final three on kills, including a pair by freshman middle blocker Antoinette Steele (Ellenville, NY) that helped clinch the set and give the hosts a 2-1 match lead.
 
NJCU was dominant in the fourth set, jumping out to leads of 12-0, 14-2 and 17-4 lead while hitting .269 on 11 kills (11-4-26). Defensively, CCNY was limited to four kills and a -.167 hitting percentage and the Knights never trailed in the set, tying the match at 2-2 with a 25-14 win. Martinez served 13 consecutive points to open the game.
 
But in the decisive fifth set, it was all CCNY as the Beavers hit a collective .474 with nine kills and no errors in 19 attempts. The hosts never trailed, opening a 12-1 lead en route to the 15-3 victory.