JERSEY CITY, N.J. — In an electrifying five-set battle at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on Thursday, Sept. 25, the New Jersey City University (NJCU) women's volleyball team edged out Saint Elizabeth University (SEU) in a thrilling 3-2 victory. The Gothic Knights improved to 10-1 overall, while the Eagles dropped to 5-9 on the season.

The match was highlighted by a historic performance from rookie outside hitter Kai Fitzpatrick (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough High School), who recorded a career-high 33 kills—tying her for 10th all-time in NJCU program history for kills in a single match. She joins Gothic Knight Lizzelle Cintron, who tallied 33 kills against Springfield College back in 2007. Fitzpatrick's all-around dominance also included a career-high 21 digs, a service ace, two assists, and a block assist, marking her fifth double-double of the season and her first match surpassing the 30-kill milestone.

As a team, NJCU outpaced SEU in nearly every statistical category. The Gothic Knights posted 62 kills on 168 attempts for a .137 hitting percentage, compared to the Eagles' 40 kills on 154 attempts for a .097 clip. NJCU also led in points (74-52), kills (62-40), aces (7-5), assists (53-35), and digs (79-59). The only statistical edge for Saint Elizabeth came at the net, where they recorded seven total blocks to NJCU's five.

Graduate student Diane Pugay (Jersey City, N.J./Infinity Institute) played a crucial supporting role in the win, finishing with 13 kills, seven digs, and a block. Sophomore setter Rae Marrero (Medford, NY/Patchogue Medford) also had a career night, registering a personal-best seven kills while distributing 46 assists and picking up 10 digs. Marrero now has five matches this season with at least 40 assists and five double-doubles. Freshman middle hitter Munachim Nwobu (Westampton, NJ/Paul VI) was a force at the net, collecting a team-best four total blocks, along with two kills and two digs. On the defensive end, sophomore libero Elisabeth Brito (Jersey City, N.J./Union City) provided a spark with a career-high 20 digs, helping contain SEU's offensive efforts.

For the visiting Eagles, Dadlyna Louis was the primary offensive weapon, leading the team with 16 kills and adding two blocks. Libero Alyssa Wells anchored the defense with 21 digs and three assists. Setter duties were split between Victoria Compton (16 assists) and Ericka Menaling Trajano (14 assists).

The opening set saw SEU jump out to a 17-11 lead, but NJCU battled back. A kill from Pugay ignited a 4-0 run, capped by back-to-back Fitzpatrick kills, narrowing the gap to 17-15. NJCU continued to chip away, eventually tying the set at 20 following a kill from Taylor Riccio (Nutley, N.J./Paramus Catholic) and an Eagles' attack error. A second consecutive SEU error gave NJCU its first lead at 21-20. The set remained tight into extra points, but a pair of errors by the Eagles put NJCU in position to close it out, and Nwobu sealed the comeback with a clutch service ace, giving the Gothic Knights a 29-27 win.

The second set was tightly contested from start to finish, tied at 21, SEU capitalized on a pair of NJCU miscues and added a kill to claim the final four points and secure the 25-21 win, evening the match at 1-1.

Momentum seemed to shift in the third, as SEU used a pair of NJCU errors to take an 18-16 advantage. But a timely kill from Pugay sparked a 4-0 Gothic Knights run that flipped the score to 20-18. The Eagles, however, responded with a run of their own, scoring four straight to regain a 22-20 lead. NJCU couldn't recover, dropping the third set 25-23 and falling behind 2-1 in the match.

Facing elimination, the Gothic Knights responded with urgency and intensity in the fourth set. Fitzpatrick led the charge with four early kills as NJCU stormed out to an 8-1 lead. The Eagles struggled to respond, and the Knights never let up, dominating the set 25-12 to force a decisive fifth frame.

The final set was a back-and-forth affair early, with NJCU jumping out to a 6-2 lead, only to see SEU close the gap to 6-5. A crucial service error by the Eagles, however, turned the tide. NJCU rattled off a 5-0 run, highlighted by contributions from multiple players, pushing the score to 11-5. SEU made one last push, but the Gothic Knights held firm, closing out the fifth set 15-9 and sealing the 3-2 match victory.

UP NEXT:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 30, when they travel to Mahwah, N.J., to take on the Ramapo College Roadrunners in a key NJAC matchup. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

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