The women’s volleyball team has extended their win streak with four more victories over the past week. They stand at 19-1 overall and 6-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). Their record has earned them the No. 2 seed for the upcoming NJAC playoffs.
The successful week started on Oct. 19 with a 3-0 NJAC victory over Rowan University. The Roadrunners tallied 60 points and 43 kills, sweeping their opponents, who managed 35 and 23, respectively.
Freshman Maliyah LaBrie and Senior Penelope Rivera also played significant roles in cementing the victory, contributing 22 and 20 kills respectively.
The first set was the closest, finishing 25-22 in Ramapo’s favor. Rowan could not recover and was bowled over in the following two sets, 25-15 and 25-17. However, two Profs gave impressive performances on their home turf. Outside hitter Jena Kaul earned 10 kills, and middle hitter Isabel Kirchner was on her heels with seven.
On Oct. 21 Ramapo picked up two more victories, one against United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) and one against Hunter College.
USMMA fell 3-0 with little fight. Ramapo claimed the sets with speed and style one after the other, 25-11, 25-18 and 25-15. Senior Desiree Cruz gave her all, contributing 13 of the Roadrunners’ 36 kills. USMMA managed 19 kills total, eight of which came from senior Brittany Breland.
The host fell similarly, another 3-0 total knockout. Hunter’s 25 kills and 35 points contributed to an abysmal hitting percentage of -0.01. Ramapo shined with 36 kills, 48 points and a hitting percentage of .226. The Roadrunners stole all three sets (25-14, 25-21, 25-19) and readied themselves for their next challenge.
They next faced off against Kean University in an NJAC matchup on Oct. 24 for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Awareness Night. The Cougars fought tooth and claw, taking the first two sets 25-23 and 27-25.
Just as it looked grim for the Roadrunners, they won the third set by the skin of their teeth, 26-24. Ramapo continued to regain ground, also taking the fourth set, 26-24. Both sides were pushed to their limit during the fifth set. The final five points were a back-and-forth ordeal, but freshman Karolina Rodriguez pulled through with her tenth kill of the game, securing Ramapo’s spot in the NJAC playoffs.
Freshman Maliyah LaBrie and Senior Penelope Rivera also played significant roles in cementing the victory, contributing 22 and 20 kills respectively. The team is packed with powerful players. It is no surprise that the only opponent that has bested them so far this season, Stockton University, is the No. 1 seed in the upcoming tournament.
The Roadrunners will enter the NJAC playoffs on Nov. 9 in a semifinal match hosted at the Bradley Center. First, however, they must face Centenary University in Hackettstown this Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
dbongiov@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @RCNJAthletics, X
