HAVERFORD, Pa. — The New Jersey City University women's volleyball team kicked off its 2022 season on Saturday, Sept. 3, with a pair of matches at the Haverford Invitational. NJCU first faced off with Cabrini University on neutral ground, falling in three sets (25-16, 25-9, 25-16). The Gothic Knights then took on host Haverford College in the afternoon, taking one set off the Fords — who are receiving votes in the first American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) NCAA Division III National Poll of the season — but fell 3-1 (25-13, 25-14, 23-25, 25-15).
Senior right-side
Paola Toledo (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Colegio Catolico San Rafael) — a 2021 Honorable Mention All-New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) selection — led the way for Jersey City (0-2) in the first match against the Cavaliers (2-1), notching a team-high eight kills. Sophomore outside hitter
Rachael Pharo (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional) had six kills and six digs, as well. Sophomore setter
Sydney Lore (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) led all players with a match-best 20 assists, adding three digs. Senior Katrinia Nguyendon, making her first-career appearance at libero after spending the previous three seasons as a setter/defensive specialist, tied the team high with six digs and had a service ace.
In match number two for the Gothic Knights, they dropped the first two sets against Haverford (3-1) but managed to take a hard-fought, 25-23, third set to force a fourth. Toledo had a standout performance with a match-high 16 kills, 10 digs, two aces and an assist for her second-career double-double.
Pharo and junior outside hitter
Ashley Jimenez (West New York, N.J./Memorial) each had five kills, while the latter also notched eight digs. A huge standout for the Green and Gold was Nguyendon, who recorded a match- and career-best 24 digs to go with a pair of aces and a kill.
One other player to lead in a statistical category was junior setter
Sydney Lore (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee), who dished out a match-high 26 assists to go with nine digs, two kills and an ace.
Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Tuesday night, Sept. 6, with another road match, when they travel to Rosemont, Pa., for a 7:00 p.m. meeting with Rosemont College.
