BRYN MAWR, Pa. — The New Jersey City University women's volleyball team picked up a pair of victories on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 17, on the campus of Bryn Mawr College. The squad took down Bryn Athyn College in straight sets before doing away with the hosting-Owls, also in three games.
NJCU 3, Bryn Athyn 0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-23):
In NJCU's (6-2) first match against the Lions (0-8), senior hitter
Paola Toledo (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Colegio Catolico San Rafael) led all players with a match-high 13 kills on 22 swings without a single error (.591 hitting percentage), adding six digs and an assist. After missing the previous four matches due to injury, sophomore hitter
Rachael Pharo (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional) had a strong performance in her return, as well, and led all players with a match-best 16.5 points, totaling 11 kills on 26 swings, seven digs — she also had a match-best and career-high-tying five aces.
The first set against Bryn Athyn was tight up until the Gothic Knights led 14-13. However, Jersey City used a solid 11-4 run to close it out at 25-18. During that stretch, Pharo had three consecutive aces and a kill, while Toledo, junior hitter
Ashley Jimenez (West New York, N.J./Memorial) and senior middle
Leah Seickendick (Hoboken, N.J./Hudson Catholic) all had two kills apiece. In the second set, Jersey City led 15-12 and ran off five straight to make it 20-12, however the Lions answered by scoring the following five to make it 20-17. NJCU answered once again with five more consecutive points, including kills from Pharo and junior setter
Sydney Lore (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee), as well as an ace from senior libero
Katrina Nguyendon (Union, N.J./Union).
The third and final set saw the teams go back and forth and were tied at 21-21. Toledo followed with a kill, then a solo stuff from sophomore middle Dayshia Espinoza and finally another ace from Pharo to make it 24-21. The Lions scored two straight on NJCU errors before Toledo finally called game with another kill to seel it at 25-23.
NUCU 3, Bryn Mawr 0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-15):
Toledo once again led all players with another extremely efficient performance, notching a match-best 13 kills on 24 swings with just a single error (.500), adding six digs, two aces and a pair of assists. Set number one against the Owls (5-4) was tight, with Jersey City leading 21-18. However, a pair of kills from Lore and one from Espinosa helped seel it, 25-18.
Set number two started out NJCU's way, with the visitors jumping out to an 8-1 lead. Bryn Mawr eventually trimmed it back down to an 11-8 gap, however the Gothic Knights continued to dominate and stretched it back out to an 18-9 lead — Jimenez had a pair of kills during this stretch. A mini Owl run made it 21-14, but a Pharo ace and Toledo kill, pair with a couple Bryn Mawr errors, made it 25-13.
Tied at 4-4, Jersey City blew the third and final set open and made it 15-6 — Toledo had two more kills during this 11-2 stretch. Bryn Mawr made it a five-point game once again, 18-13, but NJCU closed out the set and match with 7-2 run to go 2-0 on the day. Toledo pretty much took control to finish up, notching three kills and two aces during that stretch to end the afternoon.
Highlights:
- Jimenez had five kills, four aces and seven digs against Bryn Athyn.
- Lore led all players with a season-best 37 assists versus the Lions, adding a pair of kills, four digs and an ace.
- Nguyendon tied the match high with 10 digs to go with her three aces in the Bryn Athyn match.
- Pharo had a team-best 10 digs, six kills, two assists and an ace against the Owls.
- Espinosa had six error-less kills on 11 swings (.545).
Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Tuesday night, Sept. 20, when they open home New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC). NJCU's first-serve against Kean University is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
