JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Under the leadership of first-year Head Coach
Britni Jaskot, the New Jersey City University (NJCU) women's volleyball team continued their remarkable start to the 2025 season, sweeping Maritime College 3-0 to extend their undefeated streak to seven straight matches. With this victory, the Gothic Knights improved to 7-0, marking the best start to a season in program history.
NJCU dominated all facets of the game, outperforming the Privateers (4-3) in points (54-25), kills (41-22), aces (11-1), assists (37-21), and digs (46-36), while both teams recorded two blocks. The Gothic Knights posted an efficient .223 hitting percentage (41 kills on 103 attempts), while holding Maritime to a .056 percentage (22 kills on 90 attempts).
Rookie outside hitter
Kai Fitzpatrick (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough High School) had a standout performance, leading the offense with 16 kills at a .273 hitting percentage, while also recording eight digs, two assists, and two service aces. Graduate student
Diane Pugay (Jersey City, N.J./Infinity Institute) continued her dominant form with 15 kills (.324), nine digs, three aces, one block, and an assist. Sophomore setter
Rae Marrero (Medford, NY/Patchogue Medford) orchestrated the offense beautifully, dishing out a game-high 30 assists and adding a season-high six kills of her own on a .500 hitting percentage. She also chipped in six digs, two service aces, and a block. Defensively,
Elisabeth Brito (Jersey City, N.J./Union City) led all players with 15 digs, while
Kiley Jurcisin (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) provided eight digs, two kills, two aces, and an assist. For Maritime, Ashley Pavarini led the way with 10 kills and seven digs.
In the opening set, NJCU seized early control, using a 4-0 scoring run to establish a 15-10 lead. The surge was sparked by a Pugay kill and capped with an ace from Fitzpatrick. Maritime responded with a 7-3 run to close the gap to one point, but NJCU quickly responded with a flurry of offense. With points from Fitzpatrick, Pugay, Marrero, and Jurcisin, the Gothic Knights pulled away to take the first set 25-20. Pugay and Fitzpatrick each tallied five kills in the set, while Marrero added three.
Set two featured more back-and-forth play early, with Maritime briefly taking a 6-3 lead following several NJCU errors. The Gothic Knights tied the set at 8-8 after a Pugay kill and a Privateers error. From there, the momentum swung NJCU's way. A kill by Fitzpatrick tied the set at 14, which ignited a dominant 9-2 run that gave NJCU a 22-16 advantage. They closed out the set 25-18 behind strong serving and attacking, including four service aces in the set. Pugay once again led the way with five kills.
In the final frame, NJCU stormed out to a 9-3 lead behind six combined kills from Pugay and Fitzpatrick. Although Maritime responded with an 11-5 run to even the set at 14-14, the Gothic Knights regrouped and delivered a final 11-2 run, including six unanswered points to end the match. Fitzpatrick delivered four of those final six points via kills, with Marrero adding one. A bad set by the Privateers gave NJCU the 25-16 win to complete the sweep.
UP NEXT:
NJCU will head to Middletown, Pa. on Saturday, September 20, for a tri-match hosted by Penn State Harrisburg. The Gothic Knights will face PSU-Harrisburg at 2:00 p.m. and Pitt-Greensburg at 4:00 p.m. as they look to continue their undefeated run.
For the latest news, updates, and information on New Jersey City University sports, visit njcugothicknights.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Gothic Knights news by following NJCU Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
