Box Score MONTCLAIR, N.J. – Despite hitting .394 (17-4-33) in the first set, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team was unable to sustain that offensive production the rest of the match, falling, 3-1 (19-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-23), to Montclair State University in the 2015 season opener for both teams on Tuesday night at the Panzer Athletic Center.
Montclair State put together a balanced offense to beat New Paltz, hitting .206 for the match. The Red Hawks tallied 15 blocks to the Hawks' 11, but the visitors were slightly better from the service line, with New Paltz landing 10 aces to Montclair State's eight.
New Paltz drops to 0-1 with the loss and will look to bounce back at the Haverford/Swarthmore Tournament from Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 5-6. Montclair State rises to 1-0 with the win and hosts John Jay College and Albright College in a tri-match on Saturday, Sept. 5.
New Paltz looked strong early in the first set, rebounding from a 2-0 deficit with eight straight points, the last of which came off a service ace by junior libero
Meg Kinee (Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown). Montclair State eventually fought back, however, drawing within one point at 17-16 following back-to-back service aces. After trading points, the Hawks went on a 7-3 run to close the set en route to picking up a 25-20 victory in the first stanza.
Both teams battled early in the second, but six straight Montclair State points led to a 14-7 Red Hawk advantage. New Paltz clawed back, though, going on a 9-2 scoring spree and pulling within one at 21-20 after a kill by junior right side
Katy Braddon (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua Academy) and a solo block by junior outside hitter
Anna Paulik (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh). Montclair State scored four of the final five points of the set to capture a 25-21 victory in the second.
The two sides went point for point in the third set, but a 5-0 Red Hawk tear ultimately opened up a 16-12 lead for the home team. Montclair State continued to score points in bunches and put New Paltz on the ropes with a 25-16 triumph in the third.
Montclair State struggled to gain separation in the fourth set, as every Red Hawk surge resulted in a momentum swing in the other direction. New Paltz drew within one point on five different occasions down the stretch, and Braddon kept the Hawks alive by pounding down a kill to pull New Paltz within one at 24-23. The next rally was perhaps the longest of the night, with each team squaring up the other's swings perfectly and neither side making a costly mistake that could cost the match or an untimely swing in momentum. Montclair State's junior outside hitter Courtney Matlock, however, punctuated the evening with her 12th kill of the night, giving the Red Hawks the 25-23 set win and the match victory.
Senior outside hitter
Becca Borquist (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Rhinebeck) keyed the Hawk attack with 11 kills and a .320 hitting percentage, while Braddon racked up eight terminations. Sophomore setter
Maddie Zwickl (Chester, N.Y./Warwick Valley) dished out 28 assists and defended 10 digs to complete a double-double, while Paulik came up with a team-high 12 digs. Junior middle hitter
Brittany Tyack (Commack, N.Y./Commack), Paulik and Braddon paced the Hawks' front-row defense with three blocks apiece.
For Montclair State, junior outside hitter Melissa Terpstra and Matlock registered 13 and 12 kills, respectively. Junior setter Kimberly Matlock distributed 36 assists, while senior defensive specialist Elise Brackett landed four service aces. Defensively, sophomore libero Lily Scanzillo offered 21 digs, while senior middle hitter Courtney LePore picked up seven total blocks (six assist, one solo).
