PATCHOGUE, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) |  Freshman outside hitter Georgina Rayo (Jersey City, NJ/McNair Academic) defended a career-high 18 digs and landed a team-best eight kills but the New Jersey City University women's volleyball lost the opening match of the St. Joseph's College (LI) Tournament to Misericordia University, 3-1 (25-12, 25-13, 23-25, 25-14) on October 9 at the Danzi Center.
 
Rayo hit .316 on attack in 19 chances (8-2-19) while reaching double figures in digs for the third time as a collegian—with eight more than her previous high. Her 18 digs are an individual season high for a Gothic Knight. The loss snapped a three-match winning streak for NJCU (9-8); Misericordia, members of the MAC Freedom Conference, improves to 8-15.
 
Meanwhile, NJCU rookie opposite hitter Ayleen Pittar (Union City, NJ/Union City) made her much-anticipated collegiate debut for the Gothic Knights. One of the top hitters in the state of New Jersey as a senior in 2014 when she had 297 kills and was named First-Team All-Hudson County, Pittar came off the bench and in just two and a half sets chalked up seven kills, five digs, two blocks and one ace.
 
Senior defensive specialist/libero Valerie Ballestas (North Bergen, NJ/Weehawken) had 14 digs for NJCU while junior middle hitter Shege Haxhaj (Lyndhurst, NJ/Lyndhurst) provided six kills (6-2-23, .174) and three blocks. Sophomore setter Rachel McIntyre (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) finished with 25 assists.
 
The Cougars amassed 46 kills in the match and hit .252 (46-15-123)—14 fewer attack errors than NJCU (29-29-128, .000). Meghan Stack was the most responsible, landing a match-high 13 kills while hitting .417 (13-3-24).
 
Four other MU players had six kills—Coleby Charlier (6-1-14, .357), Megan Collins (6-1-12, .417), Paige Shaughnessy (6-5-20, .050) and Nicole Tagerty (6-2-17, .235).
 
Tagerty, in a two-setter formation, added a double-double of 17 assists and 13 digs while her counterpart, Alex Andriani, finished with 22 assists and four service aces. Ariana Gagliardi added 14 digs and Kaitlin Wheeler tallied eight digs and four aces.
    
MU hit .333 in game one and never trailed, posting an 83 percent sideout rate. Trailing 3-2 in the second game, the Cougars unleashed a 10-0 run behind the serving of Andriani to gain a 12-3 margin as NJCU committed five consecutive attack errors. Misericordia upped its advantage to 16-4 before Pittar, who joined the Knights in the last week, entered as a substitution for the first time. After MU scored another point (17-4), Pittar made her presence felt with three kills and a block, but the Knights couldn't make up the deficit, falling 25-13.
 
NJCU tried to make a match of it in the third set. The Knights trailed, 20-16 before reeling off eight of the next 10 points for a 24-22 lead with two kills by Rayo, one each by Pittar and Haxhaj and an ace by Haxhaj, cueing the comeback. The Knights forced game four, 25-23.
 
But MU was too strong in the fourth set, hitting .364 with 14 kills (14-2-33) and used a 73 percent sideout percentage, pulling away midway through the game before prevailing by 11 points.
 
Of Note:

• Misericordia leads the all-time series, 2-0. The only previous meeting was also a 3-1 loss last season (October 11, 2014).
• Georgina Rayo previously had 10 digs on September 5 (at Rosemont) and 10 against CCNY (October 3).
• Shege Haxhaj, with 515 kills, is 14 behind Cara Strzelczyk (523 kills, 2002) for 14th place on NJCU's all-time list.
• Valerie Ballestas had double figures in digs for the seventh time in her career (fifth time in 2015).

 
What's Next?:
On day two of the St. Joseph's College (LI) Tournament on Saturday, October 10, the Knights face Allegheny (12 p.m.) and host St. Joseph's (4 p.m.). NJCU will meet Allegheny for the first time in program history. Meanwhile, NJCU and St. Joseph's will meet for the 29th time. NJCU leads the all-time series with St. Joseph's, 17-11 and has won 11 of the last 16 meetings. The Eagles won the last meeting on October 24, 2014 in the St. Joseph's Tournament, 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-11).