The women’s volleyball team reaffirmed their worthiness of the No. 2 seed by stacking on two more victories over the weekend. This continues to be the best season the Roadrunners have had in team history, with a record of 21-1 overall and 7-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).
On Oct. 28, the team faced Centenary University in Hackettstown in a non-conference match. Freshman Poppy Skjonnemand and sophomore Vanessa Pagamano stood out with six kills and nine assists respectively. However, they could not wind their opponents.
Overall, the Roadrunners accumulated twice as many kills as the Cyclones, 36 to 18. The difference in hitting percentages was also stark, with Ramapo boasting .309 to Centenary’s .043.
The 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-15) win could not have happened without senior Desiree Cruz, who led with 12 kills, and junior Alexandra Sacchinelli, who contributed 15 assists.
“We all share the same goal as a team and that is to be champions. For the first time, I can genuinely say I am surrounded by teammates and a coaching staff that cohesively shares the same exact passion for volleyball.”
– Alexandra Sacchinelli
On Oct. 31, Rutgers University-Newark (RUN) was in for a fright in the Bradley Center. The Roadrunners dominated on their home court, winning 3-0 with plenty of time to spare for trick-or-treating afterwards. Little else can be expected from an NJAC match between the No. 2 and No. 8 seeds.
Rutgers scraped together seven points during the first set, five of which came from Ramapo’s errors. The Scarlet Raiders fumbled at the end, and two consecutive attack errors from freshman Anjali Maragh and junior Elvin Karakaya delivered the set into Ramapo’s hands, 25-7.
The second set went down in a similar fashion. Seven of the Scarlet Raiders’ eight points came from errors and bad sets made by the Roadrunners. The lone kill of the round by RUN was accomplished by sophomore Aliyah Sanchez with an assist from senior Jackie Rosario. The Roadrunners claimed the set 25-8 and were ready to wrap things up, but the Scarlet Raiders had a surprising amount of fight left.
The third set was the closest of the match. RUN opened strong, collecting five points before the Roadrunners could blink. From there on out, it was a brutal back-and-forth. Finally, freshman Karolina Rodriguez made the last kill with an assist from sophomore Cleopatra Diakou, closing the set 25-21.
It was closer than either of the previous sets, but it was not enough to turn the Scarlet Raiders’ hitting percentage positive. Their -.094 is a blip compared to Ramapo’s .397. Ramapo dominated across the board, with 33 kills and 51 points to their nine and 12 respectively.
This Saturday, Nov. 4, the Roadrunners will celebrate Senior Day with a tri-match involving St. Joseph’s University-Long Island (SJLI) and Wilkes University. Head to the Bradley Center at 11:00 a.m. to cheer for Ramapo against SJLI and again at 3:00 p.m. to keep their spirits high against Wilkes.
On Nov. 9, the Roadrunners will play in their first NJAC semifinal match in the Bradley Center at 7:00 p.m.
Ramapo plans on bringing the same energy they’ve maintained all season. When asked how she and her teammates stay motivated, Sacchinelli stated, “We all share the same goal as a team and that is to be champions. For the first time, I can genuinely say I am surrounded by teammates and a coaching staff that cohesively shares the same exact passion for volleyball.”
She continued, saying “Our motivation comes from our love for the game and the excitement that comes from within us every time we step on the court together. It’s been an amazing journey this season with these girls and coaches and we all know we have so much more to prove in these next coming weeks.”
dbongiov@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of Ramapo Athletics
