JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | The New Jersey City University women's volleyball team split a home non-conference tri-match, handling Sarah Lawrence College, 3-1 (25-21, 25-12, 19-25, 25-20) before falling in the final match of the day to Brooklyn College, 3-1 (25-23, 27-25, 21-25, 25-19), on October 20 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court).
 
With the win over Sarah Lawrence, NJCU (10-16) reached the 10+ win plateau for the fourth consecutive season under fifth-year head coach Robert Cole—the longest such stretch since doing it in 10 straight seasons from 1999-2008. It's the 21st time in 36 seasons NJCU has reached double figures in victories.
 
Senior setter Shaylah Ware (Newark, NJ/Science Park) had 74 assists over eight sets to up her career totals to 1,022 assists in only a year and a half as setter for the Gothic Knights and became the sixth NJCU women's player to reach 1000 career assists.
 
Brooklyn swept Sarah Lawrence, 3-0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-19) in a neutral-court match during the second of three contests.
 
MATCH 1:  New Jersey City 3, Sarah Lawrence 1 (25-21, 25-12, 19-25, 25-20)
The Gryphons (6-13) did snap a streak of eight consecutive 3-0 losses to NJCU when they won the third set, but NJCU had a 44-27 advantage in kills and prevailed, 3-1. NJCU had 14 aces in the win.
 
Ware was the catalyst, dishing 37 assists with seven digs and six aces while junior opposite Pamela Florimon (Teaneck, NJ/Memorial) put away 12 kills at a .231 percentage (12-6-26) and rejected four blocks.
 
Meanwhile, senior outside hitter Amber O'Donnell (East Newark, NJ/Harrison) defended 20 digs and added six kills and two aces and senior libero Georgina Rayo (Jersey City, NJ/McNair Academic) contributed 14 digs. Junior middle Diana Trochimowicz (Linden, NJ/Linden) had an efficient effort with six kills (no errors) in eight swings to hit .750.
 
SLC received 11 kills from sophomore middle blocker Melanie Coleman (Forest Hills, N.Y.) but also committed 11 attack errors. Junior libero Lauren Kilroy (King of Prussia, Pa.) was effective, defending a match-best 25 digs. Freshman setter Isabel Pecora (Potsdam, N.Y.) contributed a double-double with 17 assists and 13 digs.
 
NJCU had 12 kills in game one and 10 more in the second set. The Knights opened a 19-12 lead in game one and held off a late push by the Gryphons. SLC led 8-5 early in game two and held an 11-9 margin before NJCU unleashed a 15-0 run behind the serving of Ware, who had two aces during the outburst. NJCU added seven kills during the run—four by freshman outside Yaidettive Vega (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) and two kills and a block by Florimon.
 
SLC opened a 10-3 lead in game three and when NJCU closed within two (15-13), the Gryphons scored six straight points to push the lead to 21-13 and forced a fourth game.
 
NJCU finished off the win with 13 kills and a 64 percent sideout rate in the fourth set but was challenged. Leading 13-12, NJCU scored five of the next six points to elevate the margin to 18-13. SLC countered, scoring four of the next five, to trim the lead to 19-17. But NJCU responded again behind the serving of Ware who landed two aces during a 5-0 run that made it 24-17 and NJCU sealed the win on a Florimon swing.
 
NEUTRAL MATCH:  Brooklyn 3, Sarah Lawrence 0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-19) | Box Score

Behind a match-high 16 kills from senior outside Michaela Appel (Rockaway Park, N.Y.) the Bulldogs swept the non-conference match between CUNYAC and Skyline Conference opponents. Appel hit .325 and added 15 digs for an impressive three-set double-double. Junior libero Isabela Perroncino (Throggs Neck, N.Y.) had 10 digs. Freshman setter Ezri Shor (Brooklyn, N.Y) had 12 assists, eight digs, seven kills and three aces in a two-setter system and sophomore setter Kate Meltsin (Brooklyn, N.Y) added 11 assists.
 
Coleman had eight kills for SLC and Pecora added 20 assists and 14 digs. Kilroy finished with 21 digs. Brooklyn had a 68 percent sideout rate for the match, including 13-of-17 (76 percent) in game one.
 
MATCH 2:  Brooklyn 3, New Jersey City 1 (25-23, 27-25, 21-25, 25-19)

Junior outside Stephanie Duque (West New York, NJ/Memorial) and O'Donnell each had strong matches, and Ware had a double-double but Brooklyn outlasted NJCU in four sets. There were 35 ties and 19 lead changes in the see-saw match.
 
NJCU had three more kills than Brooklyn (42-39) but committed 11 more attack errors (33-22). Brooklyn had five players produced double figures in digs. NJCU unleashed 16 aces but still came up short.
 
Ware dished 37 assists, 11 digs and three aces and Duque slammed 13 kills, adding eight digs and five aces. O'Donnell delivered 21 digs, 11 kills, four aces and three blocks. Rayo had 11 digs and freshman defensive specialist Krista Bartko (Edison, NJ/Edison) added 10 digs. Vega tallied seven kills.
 
Brooklyn again was paced by Appel with a match-high 14 kills, adding 13 digs, four aces and three aces. Shor had a near triple-double with 16 assists, 13 digs and eight kills. Sophomore setter Claudia Moi (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tallied 16 assists and 13 digs. Sophomore Yana Shaposhnikova (Brooklyn, N.Y.) finished with a match-high 22 digs. Freshman outside Eugenia Ossadtchaia (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 11 digs.
 
Each team had 11 kills in set one as the clubs traded 10 ties and eight lead changes. Down 17-15, NJCU worked a 21-18 lead behind two aces and a kill from O'Donnell and two kills from Duque. But trailing 22-19, BC scored the next five points, aided by four NJCU attack errors, and clutching a 24-23 lead, prevailed on a kill by Shor.
 
Set two saw 10 more ties and again each squad landed 11 kills. NJCU led 20-18 before BC scored the next four points to claim a 22-20 edge. Down 24-21, NJCU staved off three set points, tying it on a kill by Duque, and tied it again at 25-25 on a winner by Trochimowicz. But an NJCU service error and a block by Shor sealed another tight two-point win.
 
The third set was where NJCU had the advantage in kills (12-9) and the Knights hit .265 to overcome 12 ties and six lead changes. NJCU trailed 15-12 before scoring six straight, including three aces by Duque, to go ahead, 18-15. BC rallied for a 20-19 margin and led again 21-10. But NJCU produced five consecutive points—a pair of kills by Vega and Duque, and a combo block by Duque and Ware—to force a fourth set.  
 
But Brooklyn took advantage of NJCU's hitting woes in set four. The Knights committed 12 errors, Brooklyn had just three, and the Bulldogs claimed early leads of 14-8 and 17-10, before pushing the differential to 24-16. NJCU staved off three match points before ultimately succumbing, 25-19.
 
OF NOTE:

• Series vs. Sarah Lawrence: NJCU leads, 9-0 (eight sweeps).
• Series vs. Brooklyn: 10th meeting. NJCU leads, 8-2; Brooklyn has won the last two meetings.
• Florimon reached double figures in kills for the 11th time in her career and ninth time this season.
• O'Donnell reached double figures in digs for the 43rd and 44th time in her. She amassed 20+ digs for the sixth and seventh time in her career and for the first time ever in back-to-back matches.
• Against Brooklyn, O'Donnell reached double figures in kills for the 17th time in her career and eighth time this season.
• Against Brooklyn, O'Donnell registered her sixth double-double of the season and 10th of her career.
• Rayo reached double-digit digs for the 14th and 15th time in 2018 and 29th and 30th times in her three-year career.
• Against Brooklyn, Duque reached double figures in kills for the 11th time in her career and eighth time this year.
• Against Brooklyn, Ware had her fifth double-double this season and eighth of her three-year NJCU career.
• Against Brooklyn, Bartko had a career-high 10 digs.
• With 41 digs in two matches, O'Donnell now has 945 digs (343 sets) and passed former Gothic Knight Marissa Scarpa (386 sets, 2010, 2012-14).
• Ware will finish her career sixth on NJCU's all-time assists list:
  • 1.    2750    Alex Johanesen (368 sets)    2007-10
  • 2.    2677    Nadia DaSilva (417 sets)    2004-07
  • 3.    2413    Rachel McIntyre (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) (378 sets)    2014-17
  • 4.    2292    Sofia Gutierrez (269 sets)    2005-06
  • 5.    1730    Leydi Zuluaga (196 sets)    2001-02
  • 6.    1022    Shaylah Ware (Newark, NJ/Science Park) (241 sets)    2016-18

 
UP NEXT:
NJCU will play its final New Jersey Athletic Conference match of the season when it hosts Rutgers University-Camden on Tuesday, October 23 (7 p.m.) at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.
 
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