Union, N.J. (11/5/24) – The Kean University women's volleyball team fell to Montclair State University, 3-2, in the NJAC regular season finale for both.
MSU 3, Kean 2 (25-14, 25-23, 21-25, 22-25, 7-15)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Cougars (16-12, 5-3 NJAC) cruised in the opening set. Leading 6-4, Kean went on a 10-1 run to open things up and take the first set easily.
Leading by just one (13-12), the Cougars used a small 4-0 surge to gain some breathing room in the second set. The Red Hawks tied things up at 19-all, but Kean again used a small 3-0 run that turned out to be the difference as the teams traded points down the stretch before KU won, 25-23, to take a 2-0 lead.
The Cougars again pushed out to a lead midway through the third set (14-9), but MSU responded and took the lead, 18-17 with a four point run. Kean tied things up at 20-all, but Montclair used three kills from Bryn Bautista to win back the set, 25-21.
It was a see-saw battle in the fourth and MSU found momentum at just the right time, scoring nine of the set's final 12 points to even things up at two-all.
The Red Hawks carried that momentum into the deciding set and cruised to the final fifth set win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
Cayley Elena Morrison tied her personal best with 22 kills while hitting .677 on the night. Aspen O'Brien dished out 49 assists while Taylor Micheaux and Anne Marie Beckemeyer each had 11 kills. Beckemeyer added seven total blocks.
For MSU, Bautista recorded 19 kills and Emily Carcich registered 49 assists.
UP NEXT:
The NJAC Tournament is now set, with Kean finishing fourth. They will take on #5 Rowan University on Tuesday, November 12th here at Harwood Arena at 7 p.m. William Paterson University earned the top seed while MSU finished second. Stockton University rounds out the top three.
The Cougars close out the regular season on Saturday when they host a tri-match with DeSales University and Baruch College, beginning at noon.
