New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com)...New Jersey City University registered 19 total aces and had a combined 21 kills from sophomore outside hitters JADE MEDLEY (Queens, NY/Hudson Catholic) and MARISSA SCARPA (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) as the Gothic Knights snapped an eight-match losing streak with a 3-1 (25-14, 23-25, 25-22, 25-19) non-conference  victory over St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) on October 1 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on “Coach Charlie Brown Court.”
 
NJCU (4-8) prevailed for the first time since September 11 and snapped a 24-set losing skid when it took game one from the Bears (6-2), which had a two-match winning streak end. NJCU is 4-0 all-time in the series (three wins via sweeps). The 19 aces for NJCU were the most since landing 22, also against St. Joseph's (Brk.) on October 19, 2010.
 
Scarpa tallied her second career double-double and 12^th effort of double digit aces. She served five consecutive aces in the first set, helping NJCU open a 20-12 advantage. Scarpa finished with 14 digs, matched her second highest career kills total with 10 winners (10-6-29, .138) and landed six aces.
 
Medley contributed a team-best 11 kills (11-7-37, .108) while senior setter KIARA MARTINEZ (Newark, NJ/East Side) dished 30 assists with six digs and four aces. Sophomore CINDY GARCIA (West New York, NJ/Memorial) delivered    match-high 18 digs.
 
Sophomore middle hitter INDIGO HATCHER (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) landed six more aces for the Knights. Sophomore KELYSHA EDWARDS (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) hit .250 with six kills (6-2-16).
 
The Bears got their heavy lifting from freshman middle hitter Lauren GaNun (Breezy Point, NY/Fontbonne Hall) who registered a .326 attack rate while finishing with a double-double of 10 digs and a match-high 17 kills (17-3-43).
 
Senior setter Kim Matthews (Breezy Point, NY/Bishop Kearney) tallied 19 assists and 17 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Nicole Rios (Astoria, NY) and freshman Anna Carbone (Ozone Park, NY/Mary Louis) combined for 27 digs.
 
NJCU had nine kills in every set and had its highest attack rate in period one when it planted nine winners and only made three attack errors (.261), while collecting eight of the team's 19 aces.
 
Leading 14-12, NJCU took control in set one behind the serving of Scarpa and scored 11 of the final 13 points of the period.
 
GaNun was a factor for the Bears in period two, hitting .364 with five kills and one error (11 attempts). NJCU led 19-14 after a Scarpa kill and still led 23-20 after an ace by Martinez cooled a streak for the visitors. But St. Joe's scored the final five sets of the game as NJCU made three errors and SJCBK sealed the game on a Rios kill.
 
There were seven ties and four lead changes in set three, with Scarpa flooring five kills on eight attempts (.625). SJCBK received five kills and a .286 percentage by GaNun. The guests held a 17-13 lead, aided by three aces and one kill by Matthews, and maintained a 19-15 margin off a GaNun kill. Still trailing 21-19, the Knights responded by scoring six of the final seven points of the set, with three kills by Scarpa proving decisive.
 
The fourth set saw nine more ties and six lead changes as Medley put away six of NJCU's nine winners. Holding a slim, 18-17 cushion, the Knights closed the match in four sets by jotting down seven of the final nine points. Back-to-back Medley kills made it 21-17 and NJCU took advantage of three visitor errors, including a service error on match point to seal it.
 
NJCU returns to New Jersey Athletic Conference action on Thursday, October 4 at 7 p.m. when it faces Rutgers-Newark at the Golden Dome in Newark, NJ.