Women's Volleyball | November 01, 2014

Box Score 1 | Box Score 3 JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Senior middle blocker Jade Medley (Queens, NY/Hudson Catholic) slammed 24 kills in two matches to give herself a shot at 1,000 entering the final day of her career and the New Jersey City University women's volleyball team won two matches in convincing fashion as NJCU swept CCNY and Staten Island on day one of the NJCU November Invitational at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.
 
NJCU overcame 20 combined ties with the City College of New York to sweep the Beavers (9-21) by a 25-18, 25-22, 25-18 outcome. In the second contest, NJCU trailed just once in the first two sets and blanked the College of Staten Island (9-13), 25-18, 25-12, 25-22. (NCAA BOX 1 | BOX 2)
 
With the two wins, NJCU (8-23) won its third straight match and at 2-0 on day one of the event, guaranteed it will play in the championship match on Sunday.
 
On the second court of the two-court setup, Staten Island defeated John Jay College, 3-1 (25-6, 18-25, 25-14, 25-15 | BOX) and CCNY edged John Jay, 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-19, 27-25 | BOX). 
 

Medley opened play with 950 career kills and moved into fourth place in school history with 974, passing Sarah Torres (2005-08) with 961 kills. Medley needs 26 kills to reach 1,000. If both matches on the final day are three-set results, she would need to average 4.33 kills per set to reach the milestone that only three Gothic Knights have ever tasted.
 
Medley reached double figures in kills for the 38^th and 39^th times in her career and 14^th and 15^th times this season.
 
Senior libero Marissa Scarpa (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) had a combined 30 digs in the two matches while freshman setter Rachel McIntyre (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) dished 53 assists on the day.
 
Scarpa reached double figures in digs for the 13^th time as a senior in 38^th time in four years.
 
MATCH 1: NJCU 3, CCNY 0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-18):
Medley pounded out 13 kills, four blocks (three solo) and hit .370 (13-3-27) to pace the Gothic Knight attack and Scarpa scraped up 15 digs while uncorking three of NJCU's eight service aces.
 
Senior right side Ashley Latushko (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) hit .545 with six kills and no errors (11 swings) while adding a pair of assisted blocks. Sophomore middle hitter Shege Haxhaj (Lyndhurst, NJ/Lyndhurst) notched seven kills while hitting .263 (7-2-19). McIntyre finished with a near double-double, compiling 24 assists and nine digs.
 
CCNY outside Leticia Marotti produced more than half of her team's offense, collecting 16 kills and eight digs while hitting .282 (16-5-39). Saye-Chantl Joseph finished with seven kills (7-3-20, .200) and a match-high 16 digs. No other player had more than three kills. Kathlen Dos Santos finished with 19 assists and six digs.
 
Set 1:
NJCU struggled offensively in the first set, only hitting .038 with six kills. But NJCU overcame seven ties—the final at 17-17—by scoring eight of the final nine points in a 25-18 win. Haxhaj had a pair of kills to get the run going before a Latushko ace and three straight CCNY errors capped the set.
 
Set 2:
The Knights hit .400 in game two with 15 kills in 35 attempts (one error) and needed the proficiency because CCNY responded with 13 kills. The Beavers kept it tight, tying it at 20-20, before Marotti twice had a timely kill to keep the guests alive, including at 23-22. But NJCU sealed it as Haxhaj put away an attempt and senior outside Indigo Hatcher (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) had a kill on an overpass on set point.
 
Set 3:
The clubs traded nine ties and six lead changes in the third set before NJCU pulled away, 25-18. Trailing midway through the period, 14-13, the Knights chalked up the next five points, including back-to-back aces by Hatcher, for an 18-14 margin. Still ahead, 20-19, NJCU registered the final five points of the match as a Medley kill was followed with four consecutive CCNY miscues.
 
MATCH 2: NJCU 3, Staten Island 0 (25-18, 25-12, 25-22):

Hatcher and Medley combined for 23 of NJCU's 37 kills and together had more winners than the entire Dolphin squad. CSI was limited to a -.034 attack percentage with 19 kills (19-22-89). NJCU had at least a dozen kills in each set.
 
Hatcher's effort was commendable as she hit .524 with 12 kills and only one error (21 attempts) while defending six digs. She reached double figures in kills for the first time this season and only the third time in her career. Meanwhile, she equaled a career-high in kills and hitting percentage.
 
Medley put away 11 kills (.172, 11-6-29) and had two blocks while Haxhaj stuffed four blocks and landed five kills. McIntyre delivered 29 assists, five digs, two blocks and two aces while Scarpa frustrated the Dolphins with her 15 digs and two aces. Latushko defended nine other digs and had two blocks and four kills.
 
Pola Poskrobko had nearly half of CSI's kill total, landing nine at a .292 percentage (9-2-24) with eight digs and three blocks (two solo). No other player had more than four or hit in positive territory. Victoria Wong was CSI's defensive standout with a match-best 18 digs. Brittany Minondo finished with 16 assists.
 
Set 1:
In game one, NJCU had a 12-6 differential in kills and after falling behind early, 4-0, stormed back with nine consecutive points to claim a 9-4 advantage it wouldn't relinquish. The run extended to 13-1 and the lead, 13-5, before the Dolphins swam back into contention, twice cutting the deficit to one (18-17 and 19-18). But NJCU reeled off the final six points of the set. Medley and Hatcher got the action going with back-to-back kills and after an ace by Scarpa, CSI committed three errors.
 

TEAM STAT COMPARISON
	NJCU	CCNY	NJCU	CSI
Score:	3	0	3	0
Attack Percentage (K-E-TA):	.189 (32-14-95)	.123 (30-17-106)	.214 (37-15-103)	-.034 (19-22-89)
Kills:	32	30	37	19
Assists:	29	24	31	17
Service Aces:	8	4	7	9
Digs:	55	44	42	46
Total Blocks:	6.0	1.0	7.0	3.0
Points:	46.0	35.0	51.0	31.0

Set 2:
NJCU never trailed in the second set when it again had a 12-6 margin in kills. The Knights burst out to a 12-3 lead, and eventually 17-7, before scoring eight of the final nine points of the frame.
 
Set 3:
With 11 ties and five lead changes, the third set was the most competitive. Hatcher had five kills in the game. With CSI clutching a one-point, 20-19 lead, NJCU received a kill from Medley and back-to-back aces by McIntyre to regain the advantage, 22-20. A kill by Medley (23-21) and another by Hatcher (24-22) kept the hosts in the lead before CSI committed an attack error on match point.
 
OF NOTE:

• CCNY leads the all-time series with NJCU, 16-15, but the Knights have won the last two meetings.
• NJCU leads the all-time 'Bayonne Bridge Series' with CSI, 10-5, and has won seven of the last eight meetings.
• Indigo Hatcher's previous season high was nine kills in a four-set match (at Cedar Crest, October 4). She matched her career high of 12 kills in a four-set, 3-1 win at York (NY) on September 11, 2012.
• Medley increased her career totals to 1,138.0 points, 974 kills and 193 blocks (113 solo). She needs 26 more kills in the final two matches of the season to become the fourth Gothic Knight with 1,000 career kills.

WHAT'S NEXT?
NJCU plays John Jay College at 12 p.m. on Sunday, November 2 in day two of the tournament. NJCU leads the all-time series, 24-2. NJCU will play in the event's first-second place match at 2 p.m. against the winner of the other 12 p.m. contest when CCNY and Staten Island square off.