JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University women's volleyball team picked up the three-set victory (25-18, 25-14, 25-23) on Thursday night, Sept. 29, at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC) over non-conference foe Brooklyn College.

NJCU (9-5) started off the first set strong and jumped out to a 15-6 lead over the Bulldogs (7-7). The road team did manage to trim it down to a four-point deficit at 20-16, but Jersey City closed it out on a 5-2 run to take the set 25-18. Seniors right-side hitter Paola Toledo (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Colegio Catolico San Rafael) and middle blocker Leah Seickendick (Hoboken, N.J./Hudson Catholic) each had four kills and two blocks apiece in the set.

In set number two, the Gothic Knights took control and flew out to a 19-5 lead. They let up a bit and the Bulldogs went on an 8-2 run to make it 21-13, however the home team won four of the final five points to take it 25-14. Toledo had four more kills and a block in this one, while sophomore outside hitter Rachael Pharo (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional) had three kills.

A few more Green and Gold players saw the court in the third and final set — the tightest one of the night — which was even nearly the whole way. The squads were tied at 9-9, however, and Jersey City went on a 5-1 run to take a 14-10 lead, including two kills and a block from Seickendick. Later on, leading 18-15, NJCU faltered slightly and Brooklyn pounced on the opportunity with an 8-2 run to take a 21-19 lead. After a Gothic Knight timeout, the squad closed out the set and match with a 6-2 run to end the night and win the set 25-23.

Highlights:
- Toledo finished with a match-best nine kills on 14 swings (.643 hitting percentage) without a single error. She added a match-high eight kills, three blocks and a pair of aces.
- Seickendick led all players with a career-high-tying six total blocks to go with seven kills and two errors on 13 swings (.385) and had a pair of digs.
- Pharo had six kills, five digs and two aces, while her partner in crime junior setter Sydney Lore (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) led all players with a match-best 28 assists, seven digs and a match-high four aces.
- Sophomore outside hitter Kiki Lugo (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) saw action in the third and notched five kills and two errors on 14 swings (.214).

Up Next:
NJCU returns to the road for a non-conference tri-match in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., on Saturday, Oct. 1, against hosting-Wilkes University at 11:00 a.m., followed by a neutral match against Neumann University at 1:00 p.m.