Box Score UNION, NJ – The Kean University women's volleyball team won 3-0 over Rowan University in the first round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship Tournament on Tuesday night.
The Cougars (21-11), the fourth seed, travel to the top seed Ramapo College (22-3) on Thursday, Nov. 3 for a 7 p.m. semifinal match. The Profs were seeded fifth in the conference tournament and they end the season with a 9-23 record. Rowan has advanced to the conference tournament 22 times and 11 straight years.
The set scores were 25-20, 25-21 and 25-12. Outside hitter/middle hitter Joelle Tondi (jr. Wood-Ridge, NJ/Wood-Ridge) and outside hitter Brett Harper (so. Vero Beach, FL/St. Edward's) each registered nine kills for Kean. Tondi also compiled 20 digs. Middle hitter Jesse Larkin (fr. Redwood City, CA/Woodside) contributed with eight kills.
Defensive specialist Alexis Whitney (sr. New City, NY/Clarkstown N.) and outside hitter Vikki Stec (so. Elmwood Park, NJ/Elmwood Park Mem.) totaled 11 and 10 digs respectively. Stec recorded four service aces. Setter Brianna Calvano (fr. Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) amassed 30 assists.
For Rowan, outside hitter
Erica O'Hagan (sr. Cedar Grove, NJ/Cedar Grove) recorded a match-high 10 kills. Outside hitter
Kailey Gallagher (fr. Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) registered eight kills and outside hitter
Megan Jacobi (fr. Nazareth, PA/Nazareth Area) followed with seven. Setter
Kat Wolf (sr. Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) produced 23 assists while libero/defensive specialist
Rebecca Dantonio (sr. Glen Mills, PA/Garnet Valley) had 15 digs.
In the first set, Rowan was ahead 10-7 after Dantonio's kill. Kean took the lead 13-10 with six straight points. Stec contributed with three services aces in the run and Ridgway added a kill. O'Hagan tallied a kill, opposite
Maura Francis (fr. Philadelphia, PA/St. Basil Academy) had a service ace and Rowan trailed 20-16. Calvano and Jacobi exchanged kills and the Cougars were ahead 22-18. Kean was up 24-19 after two Prof errors. Rowan middle hitter
Erin Keegan (so. Fairfield, NJ/West Essex) made the score 24-20 with a kill. Kean's final point came on a service error.
Rowan was down 4-3 in the second set then had four of the next five points to take the lead 7-5. Middle hitter/opposite
Jamie Shirtz (so. Mendham, NJ/West Morris Mendham) and O'Hagan each had a kill. The Profs were up 15-10 and the Cougars tied the score with five straight points.
O'Hagan's kill gave the Profs the lead 16-15. The score was tied at 17 and 19. Ridgway's kill knotted the score at 20. Rowan trailed 22-21 after a kill by Gallagher. The Cougars took the set with the final three points. Tondi and Larkin each posted a kill and Calvano served an ace.
Kean jumped out to an 11-3 advantage in the final set with six of the points from kills. Ridgway's kill gave the Cougars a 10 point advantage (15-5). Larkin had a kill and the score was 20-10. Kean ended the match with five of the last seven points in the set.
