PATCHOGUE, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | The New Jersey City University women's volleyball team did not lead in five of six sets played and dropped two matches on day one of the St. Joseph's College (LI) Tournament at the Danzi Athletic Center on October 24. Host St. Joseph's downed NJCU, 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-11) before Alfred State College won its 20^th match of the season with a 3-0 decision (25-14, 25-9, 26-24).
 
With the two losses, NJCU dropped to 5-20 and has fallen in seven straight. SJC improved to 14-9 with the opening match decision while ASC upped its mark to 20-3.
 The host Golden Eagles had more than twice as many kills as the Gothic Knights and hit at a staggering .420 rate in sweeping NJCU. The Eagles slammed 45 kills in 81 attempts while making just 11 errors. The .420 percentage was easily an opponent season high. SJC had a 45-21 advantage in kills and never trailed in the match.
 
In defeat, senior middle hitter Jade Medley (Queens, NY/Hudson Catholic) finished with a team-high nine kills (9-5-22, .182) and two blocks (one solo). No other player had more than four kills. Freshman setter Rachel McIntyre (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) provided 15 assists.
 
Heather Ferchland led the Eagles with a .500 percentage with 10 kills in 16 attacks (two errors). Setter Julianne Tierney collected 31 assists and hit .500 with five winners (5-1-8). Samantha Jacoby finished with six kills and a .417 attack rate (6-1-12), adding three aces. Tiffany Willms added six kills at .444 (6-2-9) and Melissa Garibaldo finished with a .571 percentage and five kills (5-1-7).
 
The Eagles had 17 kills in set one when it hit .433 (17-4-30) and led 17-5, then posted a masterful .542 percentage in game two, landing 15 winners (15-2-24) as the hosts jumped in front, 14-4. SJC added 13 kills at .296 in the third period. Up 12-8 in set three, a 9-2 burst sealed it.
 In the first-ever meeting between the schools, the Pioneers, an NCAA Division III independent, posted a 37-15 advantage in kills and limited the Gothic Knights to a -.013 attack percentage while unleashing 18 aces.
 
In the loss, McIntyre tallied her sixth career double-double with 13 assists and 11 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Shege Haxhaj (Lyndhurst, NJ/Lyndhurst) had a team-high with six kills and hit .455 with one error in 11 swings. Medley had two solo blocks and senior right side Ashley Latushko (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) finished with seven digs and a .300 attack rate (3-0-10).
 
Six different Pioneers had at least two aces. Kay Pfleghardt finished with 10 kills (.364, 10-2-22) and three aces while setter Lera Braun produced 30 assists, six digs and five aces. Jess Padley chipped in eight kills and two aces. Grace Hill hit .417 with six winners and three aces.
 
Alfred State led from wire to wire in both the first and second sets when it tallied 13 and 10 kills and limited NJCU to three kills in each period. ASC vaulted in front 11-1 in the first set, led by its serving and four aces. In game two, the Pioneers scored the first 10 points and again held an 11-1 advantage.
 
NJCU had nine of its 15 kills in the third game—by far its most competitive of the afternoon. Despite trailing nearly the entire set, NJCU, down 20-16, roared back to tie it at 21-21, then held three one-point leads which forced the Pioneers to even it at 22, 23 and 24. A kill by Bryanna Godfrey and an ace by Padley clinched the 26-24 outcome.
 
OF NOTE:

• Even with the loss, NJCU still leads the all-time series with St. Joseph's, 17-11 and has won 11 of the last 16 meetings.
• First-ever meeting with Alfred State College.
• The previous opponent season-high attack percentage was Misericordia which hit .407 (38-5-81) on October 11. It's the highest opponent percentage since Kean hit .497 (41-6-73) on October 17, 2013.
• Medley increased her career totals to 1,073.5 points, 917 kills and 183 blocks (108 solo). She needs 83 more kills in the final eight matches of the season to become the fourth Gothic Knight with 1,000 career kills. Sarah Torres (2005-08) with 961 kills is next on the all-time list, just 44 kills away.

WHAT'S NEXT?
On day two of the tournament on October 25, NJCU meets Keystone College and Wilkes University at 12 and 2 p.m.