New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

WAYNE, NJ (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University senior libero MICHELLE RAYO (Jersey City, NJ/County Prep) established a school record for most digs in four-set match with 37, and senior outside hitter TABITHA JORDAN (West New York, NJ/Memorial) registered her 18^th career double-double, but it wasn't enough as undefeated William Paterson University overcame the Gothic Knights, 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-20, 25-20) in the 2011 New Jersey Athletic Conference opener for both schools on Thursday at the WPU Rec Center.
 
NJCU (2-1) suffers its first setback of the season while the Pioneers improve to 9-0 and 1-0 in the league. The Pioneers lead the all-time series, 34-12, although the Knights are 8-3 in the last 11 meetings.
 
In a largely defensive battle, both schools held the opposition below a .100 attack percentage. WPU hit .096 (53-34-198), while the Knights hit .079 (41-28-165). After compiling only 10 solo blocks the entire 2010 campaign, NJCU combined for eight solo blocks in the loss—the most total blocks in a match since accomplishing the feat three times during the 2008 season, and the most solo rejections in a contest since November 10, 2006.
 
Rayo, who only had four digs in the opening set, defended 13 in the second period to keep the Knights in the match. Her career-high 37 digs broke the previous record of 35 in a four-set contest by Glorinell Perez, also against William Paterson, on November 3, 2005. It was the fifth highest digs count in any length match in NJCU history.
 
Overall, five NJCU players had double digits in digs. Jordan hit .192 and led the Knights with 17 winners (17-7-52), adding 14 digs. Rookie setter CINDY GARCIA (West New York, NJ/Memorial) contributed 34 assists and 13 digs.
 
Also for NJCU, freshman middle blocker JADE MEDLEY (Newark, NJ/Hudson Catholic) had seven kills, hit .250 (7-2-20) and made her presence felt at the tape with five solo blocks. Freshman middle hitter INDIGO HATCHER (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) added six digs and three solo stuffs. Junior defensive specialist AMANDA DOPICO (West New York, NJ/Memorial) chipped in 13 digs and junior outside hitter KIARA MARTINEZ (Newark, NJ/East Side) finished with 11 digs.
 
The Pioneers received a match-high 23 kills along with WPU-best 29 digs from senior outside hitter Kim Runge (Closter, NJ/Northern Valley-Demarest), who hit .208 with eight errors on 72 attacks. Freshman middle hitter Shauna VanDeRee (Waldwick, NJ/Waldwick) added 14 kills, while hitting .229 (14-6-35). Junior libero Michelle Mitchell (Secaucus, NJ/Secaucus) contributed 18 digs. WPU used three setters during the match and junior setter Liz Dykhouse (Wanaque, NJ/Lakeland Regional) had 18 helpers to lead the way.
 
WPU never trailed in the opening set, landing 15 kills and a .220 percentage in the game, but NJCU presented a challenge, closing within one, 16-15. WPU increased the lead to 21-15 on a pair of kills before a kill and solo block by Medley made it a three-point game. However, the Knights couldn't draw any closer and a kill by Runge gave the hosts the opening set, 25-21.
 
NJCU evened the match by winning the second set, 25-22, limiting the Pioneers to a .051 attack performance while outlasting seven ties and five lead changes. Rayo had 13 digs in the set and Jordan slammed five kills and hit .267 (5-1-15). Trailing 16-13, NJCU went on a 6-1 run to gain a 19-17 cushion as Jordan put away a pair of kills sandwiched around two WPU attack errors. The Pioneers tied it at 19-19 with two winners and after NJCU moved in front 21-19, WPU again rebounded, scoring the next three points for a 22-21 advantage after an ace by freshman setter Danielle Koukos (Midland Park, NJ/Midland Park), who had 14 assists in the match. But the resilient Knights battled back to register the final four points of the set as Martinez tied it at 22-22, Hatcher posted a solo block and Martinez, who had six kills in the match, added another. NJCU took the set on a Pioneer attack error.
 
NJCU had a 12-11 advantage in kills in the third set, but despite three ties, could not wrestle the lead away from WPU . Trailing 20-17, Martinez and Jordan floored back-to-back kills to tie it at 20-all. But a ball handling error following a VanDeRee ace made it 22-20, and the Knights committed three straight attack errors as the Pioneers scored the final five points of the set to win 25-20 and take a 2-1 lead in the contest. Rayo had 12 digs alone in the set.
 
In the fourth set there were five ties and four lead changes, as WPU landed 13 kills, led by VanDeRee with six and a .667 attack rate (6-0-9). Medley had four kills (4-0-8), hit .500 and had two solo stuffs in the period. NJCU led 16-14 on a Medley winner before the hosts scored six consecutive points to gain a 20-16 lead. A kill by Runge and VanDeRee, Mitchell ace and another Runge winner made it 18-16 before NJCU committed two errors. The Knights closed within 20-18, before a pair of kills by VanDeRee extended the lead to 24-18 and her kill on match point gave the Pioneers the set, 25-20.
 
NJCU is back in action on Tuesday, September 20 at 7 p.m. with an NJAC match against Ramapo College in Mahwah, NJ.