JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Senior middle hitter Jade Medley (Queens, NY/Hudson Catholic) put away 15 kills at a .400 rate and surpassed 900 kills for her career to help keep New Jersey City University in the match following a two-point loss in set two and a convincing win in the third game. However, with NJCU ahead 15-14 in the fourth set, Rutgers University-Camden reeled off a 9-1 run and knocked off the Gothic Knights, 3-1 (25-15, 26-24, 14-25, 25-17) in a New Jersey Athletic Conference match on October 16 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.
 
Rutgers-Camden (5-19, 1-5 NJAC) snapped a 10-match losing streak and won its first league match while sending NJCU (5-17, 0-6 NJAC) to its fourth loss in a row. NJCU did take a set from an NJAC opponent for the first time this season.
 
RU-Camden hit .254 as a team and had a 49-35 differential in kills while serving 13 aces. The Scarlet Raptors had double figures in kills in each of the three sets it claimed.
 
Medley's 15 kills were a match high as she posted a line of 15-3-30 with five digs to give her 902 career kills. She reached double figures in kills for the 36^th time in her career. Senior right side Ashley Latushko (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) contributed nine digs and six kills at a .500 percentage (6-1-10).
 
Junior middle hitter Olivia Rowland (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) was difficult to stop for RUC, landing 10 kills at a .273 pace (10-4-22) while stuffing three solo blocks. Junior middle Sydney Allen (Magnolia, NJ/Sterling) also performed well for the guests, hitting .348 with 11 winners (11-3-23) and three aces. Sophomore setter Nancy Brown (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) finished with 19 assists, nine digs and five service aces.
 
Camden, which used 14 players in the win, got solid play off the bench from junior setter Brooke Hassan (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) who had nine assists and surprised the Knights eight times on attack on a second touch, hitting .571 with no errors (14 attempts). Sophomore libero Melanie Kaiser (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) defended 11 digs.
 

TEAM STAT COMPARISON
	NJCU	RUC
Score:	1	3
Attack Percentage (K-E-TA):	.192 (35-15-104)	.254 (49-17-126)
Kills:	35	49
Assists:	27	37
Service Aces:	5	13
Digs:	49	45
Total Blocks:	3.0	4.0
Points:	43.0	66.0

Also for the Raptors, junior right side Kristin Bellamy (Brookhaven, PA) hit .333 with eight kills (8-2-18). Freshman outside hitter Lauren Pace (Beachwood, NJ/Monsignor Donovan) contributed seven kills.

For NJCU, one-time NJAC Rookie of the Week, setter Rachel McIntyre (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) provided 25 assists, eight digs and two aces. Senior outside Marissa Scarpa (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) hit .357 in 14 attempts, landing five winners (0 errors) while tallying eight digs.
 
Camden led wire to wire in the first set when it had a 14-5 advantage in kills and hit .480 while serving five aces—three by Brown and two from Allen, who also hit .571 in the period with five kills (5-1-7). NJCU drew within 17-14 before an 8-1 spurt by the Raptors capped the win.
 

In the second set, Camden hit .355 with 12 kills (12-1-31) and led the entire set until back-to-back kills by Scarpa tied it at 22-22. A Medley tip kill on an over made it 23-22 before a solo block by Rowland and a winner by Allen gave the visitors set point. Medley blasted a kill from the outside to even it for the third time at 24-24 before a ball handling error by NJCU and an ace by Allen sealed the 26-24 decision.
 
After letting the second set slip away, NJCU made a match of it in the third when it hit .370 with 14 kills (14-4-27). Medley hit .667 in the period with five kills (5-1-6). Trailing 8-5, NJCU unleashed a 7-0 run to move in front 12-8 before gradually extending the spurt to 13-1, seizing a commanding 18-9 advantage, backed by three consecutive kills by Medley. She accounted for NJCU's 16^th, 17^th, 18^th, 19^th and 20^th points with kills as the lead expanded to 20-12. Up 23-14, back-to-back kills by senior outside Indigo Hatcher (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) clinched a 25-14 margin.
 
The teams traded four ties early in the fourth set. But with NJCU in front, 15-14, RUC scored the next five points to claim a 19-15 lead. A solo block by Allen gave the Raptors the lead for good. After NJCU drew within 19-16, the Raptors pulled away with the next four points, with two kills by Hassan, including a back row setter dump, really making the difference. Hassan had another dump shot into a wide open back line for the 24^th point before a kill by Allen ended it, 25-17.
 
OF NOTE:

• NJCU, which once led the all-time series, 15-0, now leads the series, 15-6. Camden has won the last six meetings since 2009.
• NJCU was eliminated from NJAC Tournament contention with the loss for the sixth year in a row.
• Medley increased her career totals to 1,054.0 points, 902 kills and 178 blocks (104 solo). She needs 98 more kills to become the fourth Gothic Knight with 1,000 career kills—a milestone she is on pace to reach. Sarah Torres (2005-08) with 961 kills is next on the all-time list, just 59 kills away.

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
NJCU is off this weekend and next plays on Tuesday, October 21 (7 p.m.) at six-time defending NJAC champion Stockton in Galloway, NJ.