New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score JAMAICA, QUEENS, N.Y. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | The New Jersey City University women's volleyball team had a 30-12 differential in kills and led wire-to-wire in the second and third sets as the Gothic Knights cruised to a 3-0 non-conference road victory over York College (NY) on October 5, prevailing 25-13, 25-14, 25-13. NJCU led 15-0 in set two.
 
NJCU improved to 9-6 by winning its third straight and limited the Cardinals (2-13) to a -.086 attack percentage (12-17-58). NJCU served 13 aces in the win and hit .277 with an attack line of 30-12-65.
 
Senior middle hitter Shege Haxhaj (Lyndhurst, N.J./Lyndhurst) paced NJCU with 10 kills, hitting .333 (10-3-21) and was one of four players with multiple aces, landing two. Junior setter Rachel McIntyre (Drexel Hill, Pa./Upper Darby) chipped in 24 assists, five digs and three aces.
 
Also for NJCU, freshman outside Stephanie Duque (West New York, N.J./Memorial) landed four kills in nine swings in two sets for a .444 percentage and four aces. In two sets apiece, senior middle hitter Elyssa Magee (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) hit .429 with five kills (5-2-7) and sophomore right side Naiomi Cintron (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) also hit .429 with four kills (4-1-7).
 
Tiandra Jones had half of York's offense with six kills (.214). Chayana Jimenez had 10 digs but was aced five times.
 
NJCU had a 76 percent sideout percentage in the first set (10-13) and pounded out 13 kills in game two before hitting .421 with 10 winners in the third set (10-2-19).
 
Trailing 9-8 in game one, NJCU scored the next four points (three York attack errors)—and a 10-1 run overall made it 18-10. Duque had a pair of aces during the second half of the spurt.
 
In a remarkable run behind the serving of McIntyre, NJCU scored the first 15 points of the second set. The 15-0 lead is the largest for NJCU in any set in the 25-point rally scoring era. A five-point run allowed York to pull within 18-7 but never got closer than that. NJCU seized leads of 10-2 and 14-3 in the final set.
 
OF NOTE:

• Series vs York: 17th meeting. NJCU leads all-time series, 16-1, and has won the last 15 meetings since 1991.
• Shege Haxhaj reached double figures in kills for the third this year and 20th time in her career.

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
NJCU will host Clarks Summit University, formerly known as Baptist Bible College, on Thursday, October 6 at 7:00 p.m. at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court). It will be the first-ever meeting between the programs in women's volleyball.