New Jersey City University Athletics

MAHWAH, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | The New Jersey City University women's volleyball ran into one of the top players in NCAA Division III in Ramapo College senior outside hitter Larysa Iwaskiw (Westwood, N.J.) and dropped a 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-10) decision to the Roadrunners in a New Jersey Athletic Conference match on September 21 at the Bill Bradley Center.
 
Iwaskiw, a Second-Team All-American and reigning NJAC Player of the Year hit an astounding .429 with 22 kills and only four errors (42 attempts) to lead Ramapo (9-2, 2-0 NJAC). The Gothic Knights (4-5, 1-2 NJAC) had 23 kills as a team.
 
Iwaskiw single-handedly won the match as the rest of the RCNJ squad had just 10 kills and committed eight errors in 52 swings, hitting a meager .004.
 
NJCU junior outside hitter Ayleen Pittar (Union City, NJ/Union City) had 12 digs and seven kills while junior outside Amber O'Donnell (East Newark, NJ/Harrison) finished with seven kills and eight digs. Senior setter Rachel McIntyre (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) tallied 21 assists and five digs. Junior libero Shaylah Ware (Newark, NJ/Science Park) finished with 11 digs.
 
Ramapo senior libero Sarah Mulligan (Manorville, N.Y.) defended 18 digs and dished six assists while serving four of the host's 12 aces. Sophomore setter Kate Shirkey (Roxbury, N.J.) had 21 assists and seven digs. No other Ramapo player had more than three kills.
 
NJCU struggled siding out, finishing the night with a 36 percent sideout ratio (27-74). Ramapo was successful 62 percent of the time (28-45).
 
After O'Donnell had back-to-back kills to get NJCU within 14-11 in game one, Ramapo reeled off the next six points, including two aces by Mulligan, to go up 20-11 before prevailing. Ramapo jumped out to a 13-4 lead in game two before cruising, 25-16. NJCU cut the third set deficit to 9-8 before Ramapo uncorked eight straight points (17-8), behind the serving of sophomore outside Morgan Ridgway (Barnegat, N.J.), who landed three aces during the streak. In all, Ramapo scored 16 of the final 18 points of the match. Up 21-10, Iwaskiw sealed it with four consecutive kills.
 
OF NOTE:

• Series: Ramapo leads, 28-18, and has won the last 11 meetings.

 
UP NEXT:

• NJCU will play in a non-conference tri-match in Bronxville, N.Y. on Saturday, September 23, facing SUNY Old Westbury in a neutral match at 1 p.m. before meeting host Sarah Lawrence College at 3 p.m.

 
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