NEWARK, N.J. — For the first time since 2017 and just the second dating back to 2013, the New Jersey City University women's volleyball team picked up the victory over Rutgers-Newark on Tuesday night, Sept. 13. The Gothic Knights swept the Scarlet Raiders in three sets (25-13, 25-11, 25-17) and kick off New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play with a win for the second consecutive season.
Jersey City (3-2, 1-0 NJAC) dominated Rutgers-Newark (0-3, 0-1 NJAC) from start to finish on Tuesday in the victory. Junior setter
Sydney Lore (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) had a very efficient performance, sneaking six kills over the net on 13 attempts with no errors (.462 hitting percentage) against the Scarlet Raiders. She also led all players in assists (16) and tied for the match-high in aces (3), adding three digs. Senior hitter
Paola Toledo (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Colegio Catolico San Rafael) also led NJCU with a team-high eight kills and added five digs
The first set was even early on, with Rutgers up 4-3 before the Gothic Knights flew out to a 10-1 run to make it 13-5. The teams traded points to make it 19-11 in favor of the visitors before the Green and Gold closed it out on a 6-2 run to seel the set at 25-13. Set number two was even for a bit long as NJCU led 12-9 before blasting out to another huge 13-2 run to take the set 25-11. The final set saw the Gothic Knights leading 6-3 before they went on another large run, 8-0, to make it 14-3. The Scarlet Raiders made a bit of a charge and cut it to 23-17, but Jersey City took the final two points to win the set and match.
Highlights:
- Sophomore hitter
Brenda Gonzalez (Union City, N.J./Dickinson) finished with six kills and three blocks.
- Senior middle
Leah Seickendick (Hoboken, N.J./Hudson Catholic) had four error-less kills on eight swings (.500) to go with two blocks and a dig.
- Senior libero
Katrina Nguyendon (Union, N.J./Union) led all players with a match-best 11 digs and added a match-high-tying three aces.
- Senior captain defensive specialist
Krista Bartko (Edison, N.J./Edison) also tied the match-high with three aces.
Up Next:
NJCU returns to action on Thursday evening, Sept. 15, at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC) for a non-conference clash against Medgar Evers College. The squad last faced the Cougars in 2016 and swept them in three sets.
