The Montclair State Volleyball team hosted Kean University Tuesday night in front of a packed crowd Panzer Center. It was incredible to see the support from Red Hawk Nation and for myself, The Red Hawks came into the game riding a three-game-winning streak and looked to take advantage of a struggling Kean squad.
First Set:
The Red Hawks came out strong, with the crowd roaring behind them. Within seconds, they scored the first point of the match. Skye Ramsey sent an absolute missile into the Kean defense, and the Red Hawks were off and running. Emma Hatcher and Rachel Curran followed up with points of their own, and it was an early 3-0 lead for Montclair.
Later in the set, the Red Hawks would take a 6-4 lead. Kean then went on a huge run to not only take the lead, but go up 14-to-6. Montclair cut the deficit to 3 points at 17-14, but Kean was too much and took Set 1 by a score of 25-16.
Second Set:
Set two gave the crowd all the drama they could handle. Both teams traded points throughout, Curran led the way for the Red Hawks to get multiple kills to keep the score level. Both teams were knotted at 15 when Kean started to pull away, bringing the score to 24-19. The Red Hawks would not go down without a fight and stormed back. Curran scored, and the Red Hawks got two aces in a row from Addison Castles, forcing Kean to take a timeout. Curran then cut the deficit to just one point, but the Cougars were able to wrap up the set—giving them a 2-0 set lead.
Third Set:
Kean jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the third set, with Montclair’s first point coming on Service Error. Miscommunications started to hurt the Red Hawks, and the Cougars began to pull away. Montclair trailed by a score of 14-9, but three straight aces cut the score to 14-11 and gave the Red Hawks some momentum. Kean did what they had done all night and answered the Red Hawk run with a three-point run of their own; they took the third set 25-17, winning the match.
Montclair Stat Leaders:
Points: Curran - 11
Kills: Curran - 11
Assists: Emily Carcich - 23
Digs: Katie Rodman - 11
Blocks: Mia Capriglione - 1
Aces: Rodman - 3
What’s Next:
The Red Hawks will travel to Hartford, CT to take on the 6-4 Regis College Pride as they look to bounce back from this loss.
