New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES: Inside-the-Athlete, BRITTANY EREZUMA
SENIOR DAY PHOTO GALLERY

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com)...New Jersey City University held match point in the fourth set, but the College of Saint Elizabeth overcame the deficit and survived a Gothic Knight rally in the fifth game to defeat NJCU, 3-2 (13-24, 26-24, 14-25, 26-24, 15-11) in a non-conference match played on October 23 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on 'Coach Charlie Brown Court.'

In the second meeting of the season between the clubs, the Screaming Eagles (21-7) won consecutive matches against NJCU (9-19) for the first time since winning three straight matches in the 1988, 1989 and 1990 seasons. NJCU leads the all-time series, 25-8; CSE swept an October 13 meeting between the clubs in Morristown, 25-17, 25-23, 25-20.
 
The Eagles won their 21^st match of the season despite committing nine more attack errors (33) than kills (24), but managed to survive by using its clear size advantage to reject 11.0 total blocks. NJCU had 37 kills, 16 aces and 6.0 blocks in defeat, losing for the first time in five sets this season and playing its first maximum-length match since a 3-2 win over SUNY Old Westbury in the second contest of the season on September 5.
 
St. Elizabeth hit -.077 for the match and had a red percentage in four of five sets. But the Eagles received solid defense in the backrow and at the net. It was the second time this season NJCU held an opponent to a negative attack percentage and the first time in 11 years that NJCU has lost a match when the opponent had a negative hitting percentage (October 6, 2001 vs. Montclair State University, -.036).
 
Prior to the match, NJCU honored its two senior captains, both four-year letter-winners, in middle hitter BRITTANY EREZUMA (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) and setter KIARA MARTINEZ (Newark, NJ/East Side).
 
Martinez had an admirable performance on Senior Night, finishing with her third career double-double—all this season—with a match-high 27 assists, adding 10 digs and a match-high six aces.
 
Sophomore outside hitter MARISSA SCARPA (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) floored double figures in kills for the second straight match and fourth time in her career (all in 2012), finishing with 11 winners. Sophomore outside hitter JADE MEDLEY (Queens, NY/Hudson Catholic) collected nine kills and five blocks (four solo).
 
Sophomore libero CINDY GARCIA (West New York, NJ/Memorial) registered 15 digs—her 16th double-digit dig effort this season and 29^th in two years—while serving three aces and Erezuma dished 11 digs and two aces. Sophomore middle INDIGO HATCHER (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) chipped in four assisted blocks and two aces and sophomore defensive specialist JAMIKA STEVENSON (Jersey City, NJ/Hoboken) provided eight digs and three aces.
 
Sophomore libero Rachel Hausler (Lebanon Township, NJ/Voorhees) tallied a match-best 18 digs and equaled the night high with six aces. Junior middle blocker Subhana Wrights (Lawrence Township, NJ/Lawrence) didn't hit well (four kills, six errors, -.095), but the 6-foot-1 middle was key at the net with eight blocks, including three solo stuffs.
 
Sophomore 6-foot-0 opposite Ireyah Stevens (Plainfield, NJ/Plainfield) collected six assisted blocks and three kills. Sophomore setter Jenae Goodson (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) finished with 14 assists, eight digs and two aces to overcome seven ball handling errors. Also for CSE, sophomore outside hitter Katie Cooper (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury) had 12 digs and six kills and senior defensive specialist Nashlly Sokoli (Newark, NJ/St. Vincent's Academy) finished with 11 digs.
NJCU dominated the first set, leading from start to finish while hitting .240 as a team with nine winners. CSE hit -.087 in the period. The Knights burst out to a 15-6 lead behind Scarpa who hit .300 in the game with more kills in the game (5-2-10) than the entire opponent roster.
 
The second and fourth sets saw NJCU bouncing back from deficits and each time falling in extra points by a 26-24 result. In game two, both teams had a negative percentage (-.100, NJCU; -.115, CSE) and there were seven ties and three lead changes. Tied at 21-21, CSE twice gained two-point leads at 23-21 and 24-22. NJCU tied it on an opponent attack error and a Martinez ace at 24-24, before sophomore middle Kiara Francisco (Newark, NJ/Marylawn of the Oranges), who had a block for the 23^rd point, landed a kill for the 25^th point and NJCU committed an attack error on set point.
 
Another dominant third set gave NJCU a 2-1 lead in the match. The Knights owned a 2:1 margin in kills, 12-6, and hit .250 in the game (12-4-32). Tied at 4-4, NJCU scored six straight points behind the serving of Stevenson and opened up a 17-9 advantage. Martinez had four kills on six attempts with no errors for a .667 percentage in the set and added eight assists. Scarpa hit a stellar .800 with four kills in five swings.
 
In the fourth set each team again hit in the red, but NJCU clawed back from a huge 18-11 deficit, scoring six consecutive points behind the serving of Martinez, including back-to-back aces to pull within one, 18-17. CSE reopened a 21-17 cushion after a kill by Goodson and a combo block by Stevens and Francisco, who had three blocks on the night. Another double block by Stevens and Wright made it 23-20.
 
The Knights reeled off four consecutive points to vault ahead, 24-23 as CSE committed an attack error, Medley floored a kill, and NJCU tied it on a double block by Martinez and Hatcher. For Martinez, who had most of the contact on the stuff, it was only her third block of the season. Garcia then unleashed a kill for a 24-23 lead to give NJCU match point. But after a CSE timeout, Medley committed back-to-back attack errors and was called for a disputed blocking error on set point as CSE survived, 26-24, to force a fifth set. Goodson hit .800 in the fourth period with four kills (4-0-5).
 
The Knights started the fifth set ice cold and the Eagles capitalized—never trailing in the game. The Eagles jumped out to an 8-1 advantage as NJCU committed four straight attack errors and six in the first eight points. The Knights were able to whittle the deficit to 9-6 on a kill from Hatcher, and after the guests reclaimed a 12-7, five-point edge, NJCU continued to fight back, drawing within one, 12-11, after three straight attack errors from the opponents. But after a timeout, Cooper floored a kill and NJCU committed back-to-back attack miscues, its ninth and 10^th of the period, as CSE escaped, 15-11.
 
NJCU will conclude its 30^th season of intercollegiate women's volleyball on Thursday, October 25 at 7 p.m. when it visits Rowan University (20-8, 6-1 NJAC) in a New Jersey Athletic Conference match in Glassboro, NJ. CSE hosts The Cooper Union on October 26.