New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME NOTES/PROGRAM

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Rutgers-Newark landed 41 kills, including 15 in the first and third sets and defeated New Jersey City University, 3-0 (28-26, 25-19, 25-22) in a New Jersey Athletic Conference women's volleyball match on Thursday night at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on 'Coach Charlie Brown Court'.
 
Rutgers-Newark snapped a 10-match losing streak with the win, improving to 2-12 overall and 1-3 in the NJAC. NJCU (3-7, 0-3 NJAC) dropped its fifth straight. Newark leads the all-time series, 33-9 although NJCU is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings.
 
NJCU was not able to find an answer for junior middle blocker Rachel Witt (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge), who used her 6-foot-0 frame to slam a match-high 18 kills and a .441 attack percentage (18-3-34) with six of the Scarlet Raiders' 10 service aces.
 
Gothic Knight rookie setter CINDY GARCIA (West New York, NJ/Memorial) notched her fifth double-double in 10 matches to open her career, finishing with 18 assists, 11 digs and five kills (5-2-11) for a .273 attack rate.
 
Also for Rutgers-Newark, sophomore setter Jen Mendoza (Lake Hiawatha, NJ/Parsippany) delivered 31 assists and sophomore libero Paulina Walega (Harrison, NJ/Harrison) finished with a match-high 19 digs. Senior outside hitter Toni Moppert (Woodcliff Lake, NJ/Pascack Hills) chipped in eight kills and nine digs and junior opposite Stephanie Touzan (West New York, NJ/Memorial) totaled six kills and two aces.
 
For NJCU, senior outside hitter TABITHA JORDAN (West New York, NJ/Memorial) chalked up nine kills (9-4-31, .161) and six digs while rookie middle blocker JADE MEDLEY (Newark, NJ/Hudson Catholic) collected eight kills, hit .227 (8-3-22) and had two solo blocks. Freshman middle blocker INDIGO HATCHER (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) finished with seven kills and hit .400 with just one error (7-1-15). Junior outside hitter KIARA MARTINEZ (Newark, NJ/East Side) and senior libero MICHELLE RAYO (Jersey City, NJ/County Prep) each tallied 13 digs.
 
The first set could have gone either way with 13 ties and four lead changes, as the two schools combined for 29 kills. NJCU trailed early, 10-7, before reeling off the next seven points for a 14-10 advantage. After R-N tied it at 15-15, the Knights rebounded for a 20-17 cushion, aided by kills from Jordan and Hatcher. The Raiders managed to tie it, as Witt contributed three of her five kills and hit .400 in the set as Newark evened it at 22-22. A Touzan winner made it set point before Medley landed a shot for 24-24. Another Touzan kill made it 25-24 but Garcia was able to save a bad pass and tipped an over ball into the back corner for a game-tying kill. The clubs traded kills, including one by Jordan, before Moppert put the Raiders ahead to stay on a backrow line shot. A ball handling error on set point gave Newark the game, 28-26.
 
Newark jumped out to an early 7-2 lead in the second set, as Witt landed three consecutive aces. Jordan missed much of the game with an injury after diving to save a ball near the bench. She returned with her team town 12-6 and polished back-to-back kills to bring NJCU with four. A solo block by Medley made it 13-10. NJCU appeared to cut the deficit to two, but a reversed call allowed the Raiders to regain momentum and scored six of the next seven points, leading 19-11 after another Witt ace. Three straight Newark errors made it 19-14 and Jordan followed with an ace and a backrow kill for a 21-17 deficit before Witt secured the set with a pair of kills for a 25-19 win. She had six kills and hit .400 in the period.
 
In the third set, NJCU trailed 21-16 following an ace by Walega, but began chipping away. A pair of kills by Garcia and Jordan made it 21-18, before Newark extended the advantage to four, 23-19. Medley slammed down an over pass and Hatcher added a kill to make it a two-point game. Another kill by Hatcher on a Newark blocking error shaved the R-N lead to one, 23-22. But Witt, who floored seven kills without an error on 14 swings in the final set, gave the visitors match point with her final winner and a kill by sophomore middle blocker Michelle Jimenez (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) sealed the win.
 
NJCU returns to action on Saturday, October 1 at 11 a.m. in a non-conference match against Philadelphia Biblical University in Langhorne, PA. Newark plays Baruch College in a non-conference home contest on October 4.