JOCELYN PRESCOD/PRESCOD MEDIA

Box Score

New Jersey City NJCU 6-0,0-0 NJAC

Penn St.-Berks PSB 0-5,0-0 United East

New Jersey City NJCU

6-0,0-0 NJAC

Final

Sep. 13, 2025

Penn St.-Berks PSB

0-5,0-0 United East

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	F
New Jersey City NJCU	25	33	23	25	(3)
Penn St.-Berks PSB	19	31	25	15	(1)

Next Match:

at Maritime College

9/16/2025 | 7:00 PM

Next Match

Full Schedule

Sep. 16 (Tue) / 7:00 PM

at Maritime College

History

Recap
Roster

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | September 13, 2025 | Contact: Tom Krychkowski; Assistant Athletic Director for Communications & Marketing

NJCU Stays Unbeaten Behind Fitzpatrick and Pugay’s 20-Kill Performances

Next Match:

at Maritime College

9/16/2025 | 7:00 PM

Next Match

Full Schedule

Sep. 16 (Tue) / 7:00 PM

at Maritime College

History

Recap
Roster

Team Statistics

Team Statistics
Game Stats	NJCU	PSB
Kills	57	39
Errors	25	25
Attempts	149	143
Hitting %	.215	.098
Points	78.0	51.0
Assists	53	36
Aces	11	9
Blocks	10	3

Kills

NJCU

PSB

Errors

NJCU

PSB

Attempts

NJCU

149

PSB

143

Hitting %

NJCU

.215

PSB

.098

Points

NJCU

78.0

PSB

51.0

Assists

NJCU

PSB

Aces

NJCU

PSB

Blocks

NJCU

PSB

Game Leaders

<a href='/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/kai-fitzpatrick/6349' class='boxscore_player_link'>Fitzpatrick, Kai</a>

#1 Fitzpatrick, Kai

Kills

20
Aces

1
Blocks

4

<a href='/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/diane-pugay/6345' class='boxscore_player_link'>Pugay, Diane</a>

#14 Pugay, Diane

Kills

20
Aces

2
Blocks

3

<a href='/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/brianna-melanson/6277' class='boxscore_player_link'>Melanson, Brianna</a>

#18 Melanson, Brianna

Kills

7
Aces

0
Blocks

7

<a href='/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/kiley-jurcisin/6273' class='boxscore_player_link'>Jurcisin, Kiley</a>

#8 Jurcisin, Kiley

Kills

4
Aces

1
Blocks

0

<a href='/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/rae-marrero/6348' class='boxscore_player_link'>Marrero, Rae</a>

#11 Marrero, Rae

Assists

51
E

1

<a href='/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/elisabeth-brito/6269' class='boxscore_player_link'>Brito, Elisabeth</a>

#2 Brito, Elisabeth

Assists

2
E

0

#2 Brito, Elisabeth

Digs

18
RE

1

#8 Jurcisin, Kiley

Digs

16
RE

2

#1 Fitzpatrick, Kai

Digs

13
RE

4

#14 Pugay, Diane

Digs

10
RE

2

Kills

Aces

Blocks

#18

Assists

#11

Marrero, Rae

Brito, Elisabeth

Digs

READING, PA | The New Jersey City University (NJCU) women's volleyball team extended its unbeaten start to the season with a four-set road win over Penn State Berks, 3-1 (25-19, 33-31, 23-25, 25-15), on Saturday afternoon at the Beaver Community Center.

The 6-0 start by the NJCU women's volleyball team ties the best start in program history (2021). The win over Penn State-Berks improves NJCU to 2-1 all-time against the Nittany Lions.

NJCU (6-0) hit .215 as a team and finished with 57 kills, 11 aces, and 67 digs. Kai Fitzpatrick (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough High School) and Diane Pugay (Jersey City, N.J./Infinity Institute) powered the Gothic Knights with 20 kills apiece. Fitzpatrick added 13 digs and four blocks, while Pugay chipped in 10 digs and three blocks. Rae Marrero (Medford, NY/Patchogue Medford) ran the offense with 51 assists, two shy of cracking the NJCU single-game assist top 10 list, and added two aces. Brianna Melanson (South Brunswick, N.J./South Brunswick) was a force at the net with seven total blocks and seven kills, hitting .583. On the backline, Elisabeth Brito (Jersey City, N.J./Union City) and Kiley Jurcisin (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) combined for 34 digs. Penn State Berks (0-5) was led by Madelyn Caris with 14 kills and 15 digs, while Ella Griffiths added 13 kills and three aces.

The Gothic Knights opened the match with a steady first set, using a balanced attack to pull away midway through. Pugay sparked a 5-0 run that stretched the lead to 14-8. As the set raged on, Penn State-Berks started to gain momentum and used a 7-1 run to cut the lead down to 23-19. Fitzpatrick stepped up in a big way for the Gothic Knights and tallied two clutch kills to stop the run and give NJCU a 1-0 lead in the match.

Set two was the tightest of the afternoon, featuring 18 ties and eight lead changes. Both teams traded runs, with NJCU holding off multiple set points from the Nittany Lions. Fitzpatrick came through with several clutch kills, while Pugay's timely swings and Marrero's steady setting kept NJCU in control. Looking defeat in the face, Fitzpatrick, once again, tallied two kills for the Gothic Knights to put them in the driver's seat, 31-30. Penn State-Berks tied the game at 31, but a kill by Fitzpatrick, followed by a timely ace by Jenilsa Pichardo (Union City, N.J./Union City), closed out the marathon set in favor of NJCU.

Penn State Berks refused to go quietly, battling back in set three. The Nittany Lions strung together five service aces in the frame to build a late advantage. Despite a late push by the Gothic Knights, Penn State-Berks used a 3-1 run to close out the set and extend the match.

The Gothic Knights responded emphatically in the fourth. Behind four kills by Pugay, NJCU stormed out to an 8-2 lead. With the lead comfortably in hand, Munachim Nwobu (Westampton, NJ/Paul VI) sparked a 5-1 run that extended NJCU's lead out to 21-9. Fitzpatrick and Pugay stifled a late rally by Penn State-Berks with kills. The game ended with an error by Penn State, giving NJCU its sixth consecutive win.

Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to action Tuesday, September 16 when they head to Throggs Neck, NY to take on Maritime College at 7:00 pm.

For the latest news, updates, and information on NJCU Athletics, visit NJCUgothicknights.com and follow the Gothic Knights on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

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