New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

STATEN ISLAND, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com)...The Ray Vance era has begun with a convincing win. The New Jersey City University women's volleyball team never trailed and landed 17 aces while hitting .256 as a team as the Gothic Knights cruised to a 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-18) road win over the College of Staten Island on Tuesday night at the CSI Sports and Recreation Center.
 
Vance, in his first collegiate head coaching position, saw his club win a season opener for the third year in a row (1-0) while making him a winner in his debut. NJCU has won the last six meetings against Staten Island (0-1) in the 'Bayonne Bridge Series' and leads the all-time series, 9-4.
 
Senior middle hitter and opposite BRITTANY EREZUMA (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) had a brilliant effort to lead the offense, hitting .588 with 10 kills and no errors on 17 attacks while flooring three aces. Erezuma, who reached double figures in kills for the third time in her career, had by far her highest career attack percentage.
 
Sophomore outside hitter MARISSA SCARPA (Kearny, NJ/Kearny), playing for the first time since the 2010 season, didn't miss a beat, uncorking a career-high seven service aces, defending a match-best nine digs, while landing six kills (6-3-20, .150).
 
“I'm very excited for our first win of the season,” said Vance. “I was really excited [coming in] and the energy was really good with the girls. We saw some things to work on but the execution was good. We kept the ball in play and let them [Staten Island] make errors. We played three solid sets of volleyball which is what we're looking for. We'll take that into tomorrow night's match and our conference schedule next week.”
 
As a team, NJCU hit .256 with 30 kills and also received a solid all-around from senior setter/outside hitter KIARA MARTINEZ (Newark, NJ/East Side) who hit .500 with six kills (6-1-10), adding five assists and four service aces. Sophomore setter CINDY GARCIA (West New York, NJ/Memorial) had a match-high 15 assists and two aces. Sophomore opposite INDIGO HATCHER (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) put down three blocks. Overall, 14 of NJCU's 15 active players saw at least one set of action in the victory.
 
CSI received seven kills (7-3-15, .267) and six digs from freshman Pola Poskrobko(Staten Island, NY) while freshman setter Jennifer Samuel (Staten Island, NY) finished with 10 assists and five digs.
 
NJCU was only tied once each early in the first and second sets. NJCU hit .207 with 10 kills in the opening set before unleashing a team attack rate of .367 in set two over 13 winners (13-2-30). Erezuma notched identical lines of four kills, no errors and seven attempts for a .571 in the each of the first two sets.
 
The clubs traded seven early ties in the third set but after a 7-7 deadlock, NJCU exploded for a 14-2 run, powered by three consecutive aces by Scarpa, and Martinez had three aces in a span of four serves as the Knights seized a 21-10 lead before clinching the match in a sweep.
 
NJCU opens its 2012 home schedule on Wednesday, September 5 at 7:30 p.m. in a non-conference match against SUNY Old Westbury at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on “Coach Charlie Brown Court.”