JERSEY CITY, N.J. — For the second day in a row, the New Jersey City University women's volleyball team competed in an extremely tight three-set match, and again earned the winning after defeating Alvernia University 3-0 (25-19, 27-25, 25-22) on Saturday, October 16. This non-conference victory makes it the 13th win for the Gothic Knights this season.

NJCU (13-6) battled through three close sets, ultimately taking down the Golden Wolves (6-12) for a 3-0 win. Jersey City, despite falling behind in the last set, came back and dominated with a total of 48 kills. Freshman Rachael Pharo (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional) lead the way with 15 kills, tying her previous season high from the match against Russel Sage College, while junior Paola Toledo (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Colegio Catolico San Rafael) followed with 13 kills.

Jersey City senior Leah Seickendick (Hoboken, N.J./Hudson Catholic) and Pharo each spiked back-to-back kills toward the end of the first set, which was closed out by an Alvernia service error. Throughout the second set, junior Xarial Chandler (East Orange, N.J./University), freshman Dayshia Espinosa (El Paso, Texas/Pebble Hills), sophomore Sydney Lore (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee), Toledo and Pharo all had various kills. Fans sat at the edge of their seats as Alvernia notched a late kill, tying the set at 25-25. NJCU responded with a kill from Pharo. The Green and Gold rejoiced after winning the set 27-25 following a service ace by senior Madeline Lopez (Elizabeth, N.J./Hudson Catholic).

The Golden Wolves started out strong in the third set, leading the Gothic Knights 10-3 at one point. Momentum quickly shifted, however, starting with a kill by rookie Brenda Gonzalez (Union City, N.J./Dickinson). Toledo, Pharo, Gonzalez, Seickendick and Chandler all notched individual kills throughout the set. Jersey City was down 23-22 when Gonzalez recorded the first of two kills to close out the match. Toledo nailed the final kill of the set and match, with the assist credited to Lore — who dished out a total of 35 assists in the three sets. Seickendick stood tall for one final block, leaving the Gothic Knights victorious in straight sets.

UP NEXT:
NJCU will stay home to host its next New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) competitor Stockton University on Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 7:00 p.m. Watch all the action live on GothicVision.