JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University women's volleyball team hosted its second and final non-conference home tri-match of the season today, Saturday, Sept. 23, at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC). The Gothic Knights got the day started with a strong three-set sweep (25-15, 25-22, 25-18) over Bryn Athyn College, thanks in part to a career-high-tying 10 kills from senior middle blocker Ashley Jimenez (West New York, N.J./Memorial), who was also extremely efficient with just one error on 14 swings (.643 hitting percentage). After Bryn Athyn fell to Immaculata University in the day's second match, NJCU took on the Mighty Macs to close out the afternoon, which saw Immaculata defeat the Gothic Knights, 3-0.



NJCU 3, Bryn Athyn 0
The Green and Gold (2-4) fell behind early to the Lions (0-8) as the visitors took a 5-3 lead. However, the Gothic Knights shifted momentum swiftly to the tune of a 14-4 run to snatch a 17-9 advantage. Six different NJCU players factored into that run, led by a pair of kills and an ace from sophomore right-side Kiki Lugo (Kearny, N.J./Kearny). Bryn Athyn cut it back to six at 19-13, but the home squad managed to win six of the set's final eight points to go up 1-0 in the match — Jimenez had a pair of kills over that stretch.

Set number two was a much closer one as the teams traded points back and forth. NJCU led 12-11 at the midway point and then went on a 6-2 run to seemingly gain momentum — four Bryn Athyn errors, combined with aces from freshman setter Scarlett Torres (Union City, N.J./Jose Marti STEM Academy) and sophomore outside hitter Marina Millett (Matawan, N.J./Saint John Vianney) made up those six. The Lions, however, were not down and out just yet, coming all the way back to take a 21-20 lead with an 8-2 run of their own. Tied up at 22-22, junior co-captain outside hitter Brenda Gonzalez (Union City, N.J./Dickinson) made her presence known with a kill, followed by an ace from Torres. The set ended in favor of NJCU on a Lions' error.

The third and final set saw Bryn Athyn take the slight advantage through first half of it as the visitors found themselves uo 14-12. NJCU then won six straight points, including two more kills for Jimenez, to take back control at 18-14. The Lions did come back to within a point at 19-18, but the Gothic Knights took control to close out the victory, winning the final six points of the set to win it in three. Jimenez had a kills and combined on a block with Gonzalez, while the latter put the exclamation point on the win with the kill to end it.

Highlights:
- Gonzalez finished with eight kills, while Lugo had seven and three aces.
- Senior co-captain Katrina Nguyendon (Union, N.J./Union), getting the nod at outside hitter today, had five kills, five digs and two aces.
- Rookie middle blocker Brianna Melanson (South Brunswick, N.J./South Brunswick) had a strong match with four kills on six error-less swings, adding one solo block.
- Freshman libero Carly Everett (York, Pa./York Catholic) led all players with 14 digs, while Millett had 11. The latter also had a team-high four aces, while the former notched a pair.

Immaculata 3, NJCU 0:
The Gothic Knights and the Mighty Macs (10-2) went back and forth to begin the first set of the day's final match. With Immaculata up 13-11, the visitors engineered a 7-2 run and held the Gothic Knights to three more points in the set. The second set began similarly and was the closest of the match. NJCU found itself up 12-8 courtesy of a 7-3 run. However, the Mighty Macs reclaimed the advantage with a 10-2 run of their own and would not give up the lead for the reminder of set two. The Gothic Knights did not lie down, coming back with a 6-2 run to keep the set alive. With NJCU down 20-19, Immaculata closed the set with a 5-2 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Set three saw the Mighty Macs jump out to an early 9-3 lead and they would not relinquish that advantage for the remainder of the match. Gonzalez ended with match-best total in kills (10), while rookies Torres and Everett led the all players in assists (19) and digs (16), respectively.

Up Next:
The Gothic Knights resume New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play on the road on Tuesday night, Sept. 26, in Union, N.J., against Kean University. NJCU then returns to the JMAC on Thursday night, Sept. 28, when Stockton University comes to town. Both matches have first serve scheduled for 7:00 p.m.