SCRANTON, Pa. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Junior outside hitter Ayleen Pittar (Union City, NJ/Union City) earned All-Tournament Team accolades at the Scranton University Invitational after producing 54 kills in four matches but after a season-opening win over the College of Saint Elizabeth, the New Jersey City University women's volleyball team dropped its final three matches against Wells College, Salve Regina University and Mount Aloysius College on September 1-2.
 
On September 1, NJCU (1-3), defeated Saint Elizabeth, 3-1 (20-25, 27-25, 25-17, 25-16) but was swept by Wells College, 3-0 (25-14, 25-23, 25-18).
 
On September 2, NJCU lost a pair of 3-1 matches, losing to Salve Regina (25-17, 20-25, 25-7, 25-9) and Mount Aloysius (25-19, 25-11, 16-25, 25-17).
 
Pittar was individually impressive, averaging 3.60 kills per set and 3.20 digs per set and registered 54 kills, 48 digs and 11 aces over 15 sets. She reached double figures in kills in three of four matches and generated three double-doubles, with highs of 19 kills against Salve Regina and 15 digs against Salve and St. Elizabeth.
 
Senior setter Rachel McIntyre (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) dished 85 assists in the four matches, leaving her 10 shy of becoming the fourth Gothic Knight setter with 2,000 for a career. Junior outside Amber O'Donnell (East Newark, NJ/Harrison) had 41 digs in the four matches and junior libero Shaylah Ware (Newark, NJ/Science Park) added 40 more as the two players defended 2.73 and 2.67 digs, respectively, during the tournament.
 
MATCH 1: New Jersey City 3, Saint Elizabeth 1
In a somewhat sloppy match, NJCU unleashed 22 service aces as a team with five different players landing at least two aces. McIntyre led the way with 16 assists, six aces and six digs while Pittar delivered a match-best 12 kills and 15 digs with four aces.
 
O'Donnell tallied 12 digs and nine kills (.208, 9-4-24). Sophomore outside Stephanie Duque (West New York, NJ/Memorial) contributed seven kills and fired six aces. Ware defended eight digs and had three aces. Sophomore middle hitter Diana Trochimowicz (Linden, NJ/Linden) stuffed four blocks.
 
No Eagles player had more than six kills but four had at least five. Maura Farley finished with 11 digs.

 

2017 Scranton Invitational All-Tournament Team
Player	School	Year	Position	Hometown
Sarah Fisher	Mt. Aloysius	JR	MH	Johnstown, Pa.
Ayleen Pittar (Union City, NJ/Union City)	New Jersey City	JR	OH	Union City, N.J.
Stephanie Mitarotonda	St. Elizabeth	SO	OH	East Rutherford, N.J.
Annie Donahue	Salve Regina	SO	MB	Chelmsford, Mass.
Kate Calabro	Scranton	SO	OH	Seaford, N.Y.
Kristin Kirwan	Scranton	JR	OH	Park Ridge, N.J.
Kaitlyn Kelley	Shenandoah	SR	OH	Broadlands, Va.
Olyvia Brazier	Wells	SR	OH	Stony Brook, Va.
Most Outstanding Player: Kristin Kirwan, Scranton

 
MATCH 2: Wells 3, New Jersey City 0
The Express had 31 kills and hit .269 as a team in a sweep of NJCU. Wells had a 68 percent sideout rate in the match, including 80 percent in game one (12-15). Setter Eliza Schwab gave out 22 assists and seven digs. Jackie Allen hit .600 with six kills in 10 swings. Olvia Brazier added seven kills, six digs and four aces. She hit .375 (7-1-16).
 
In defeat, Pittar had a solid contest with a match-high eight kills and eight digs while hitting .273 (8-2-22). Junior middle hitter Nadia Montgomery (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) hit .444 with five kills (5-1-9). McIntyre dished 21 assists. O'Donnell had 10 digs.
 
MATCH 3: Salve Regina 3, New Jersey City 1
Attack errors thwarted any chance for NJCU to win as the Knights were errant 31 times on 119 attacks. NJCU had a 41-33 margin in kills but the Seahawks hit .263, committing just eight errors. The Knights sideout percentage was just 35 percent in the loss.
 
Pittar had perhaps her best-ever match with a career-high 19 kills (19-11-42, .190) and 15 digs but no other NJCU player had more than six. McIntyre handed out 35 assists. Ware defended 13 digs.
 
Annie Donahue hit a stellar .562 with 10 kills (10-1-16) and two blocks. Victoria Schwendeman added nine kills in 22 swings (two errors), hitting .318. Setter Samantha Salwa distributed 27 assists, six aces and six digs. Sydney Puffer had 11 digs and 11 aces.
 
After hitting .360 in game one (12-3-25) and .355 in game two with 17 kills (17-6-31), the final two sets were polar opposites as NJCU committed a combined 22 attack errors against 12 kills. The Seahawks had just two attack errors in game three and one in the fourth set when it hit .364 (9-1-22).
 
MATCH 4: Mount Aloysius 3, New Jersey City 1
The Mounties hit .300 as a team with 42 kills and only nine errors while uncorking 17 aces. NJCU had three players reach double digits in digs in the loss.
 
Pittar led the way yet again with another 15 kills and hit .324 (15-4-34). She added 10 digs and four aces. O'Donnell chipped in 12 digs and seven kills. Ware (15 digs), Montgomery (six kills) and McIntyre (13 assists, seven digs, three aces) also contributed.
 
NJCU hit a sensational .538 with 15 kills (15-1-26) in the third set when it stayed alive in the match after losing the first two sets.
 
Sarah Fisher had 11 kills and hit .444 (11-3-18) for the winners. Emma Pevarnik chipped in 16 assists, eight digs and six aces. Machala Gibbons had six aces and five kills with no errors. Kylee Clawson had a match-best 17 digs.
 
OF NOTE:

• Series vs. St. Elizabeth: 38th meeting. NJCU leads all-time series, 27-11.
• Series vs. Wells: First-ever meeting.
• Series vs. Salve Regina: Salve Regina leads all-time series, 2-1.  First meeting since Sept. 5, 2008 in Beverly, Mass.
• Series vs. Mount Aloysius: NJCU leads all-time series, 3-1; first-ever win vs. NJCU for Mount Aloysius. First meeting since September 15, 2016 at Scranton, Pa.
• Ayleen Pittar (Union City, NJ/Union City) notched her seventh, eighth and ninth career double-doubles.
• Ayleen Pittar (Union City, NJ/Union City) reached double figures in digs for the 17th, 18th and 19th times in her career.
• Ayleen Pittar (Union City, NJ/Union City) reached double figures in kills for the eighth, ninth and 10th times in her career.
• Ayleen Pittar (Union City, NJ/Union City)'s 19 kills were two more than her previous high of 17 in five sets vs. William Paterson on September 27, 2016.

 
UP NEXT:

• NJCU will play its 2017 home opener on Tuesday, September 5 (7 p.m.) when it hosts the College of Staten Island at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center ('Coach Charlie Brown Court'). NJCU leads the all-time series, 12-6.

 
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